


Through The Fog

by Bunny_tree



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Anguish, My First Fanfic, Suicidal Thoughts, Thank you to my beta: LevyYonetsu!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-28 19:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3867019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunny_tree/pseuds/Bunny_tree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slaine collides against the cool surface of the cement wall sinking down to meet the floor of his cell. It is silent tonight, just like it has always been for more than a year. However, tonight, no guards are training their eyes on him, no nurses are forcing food down his throat, and the shutters to the window on the back side of his cell remains up and open. It seems as though he, and the mansion where he is kept prisoner has finally become completely abandoned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Still(,) In The Dark

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t exactly know how this work is going to develop. Composed on the spur of the moment, I do intend for it to carry a mildly serious tone. As I myself enjoy unimaginably complex stories—in terms of emotion and character development—I hope that this can become such a piece, and that it will be interesting to anyone who chances upon it!
> 
> Enjoy!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been betaed by LevyYonetsu as of August 28th 2015!

Without urgency Slaine let the lids of his eyes slide open. His pupils locked onto the cement ceiling as his gaze focused on the rhythmic release of condensation following his every expiration. The temperature of his cell had dropped drastically the moment the sun had made itself scarce. His body shivered in an attempt to generate whatever heat it could, desperately trying to lengthen the short amount of time he had remaining.

Why…? Why couldn’t his physical and tangible self stop struggling to live when his mind reached out for eternal darkness, yearned to be liberated from the excruciating pain of self-loathing. His thoughts swam on the borders of depression as he actively tried to suppress and reject the emotion. At the same time, an ironic smile lifted at the corners of his lips, and he detachedly chuckled to himself: fate was cruel, and yet again it was reminding him of how little power he held over anything, himself included. He was such a joke. Unable to even choose when to end his own existence, he was condemned to this solitary demise, soon to depart the living world without a single soul who cared for him.

Shifting his weight onto one side Slaine rolled over and pressed a palm against the blue fabric of his bed, pushing up in one swift movement. A sudden rush of cool air stung the newly exposed skin on his right side, where his uniform hung loose and his blanket failed to cover him. Instantly, he regretted not gathering the densely woven cover around himself first. While it was true that he didn’t mind speeding up the slow process of hypothermic death, the sudden lash of frigid air was uncalled for. He quickly attempted to pull the fabric over his shoulder, but a spontaneous change of mind urged him to instead let the blanket pool at his waist. _This way you can die faster; the frosty air will seep into your blood and lower your core temperature,_ the voice at the back of his mind advised, and he agreed with it as he grasped the material resting on his left shoulder and hastily threw it to a corner. He probably didn’t have long, the erratic tremors originating from his core refused to subside.

Sitting with crossed legs on his bed, Slaine pondered what he could do to pass time while slowly awaiting his imminent death. He then tilted his head up to watch the soothing grass dance behind the gated window. His cell was almost completely underground, and only the awkward placement of grass above him, and outside the window, showed otherwise.

For the first time in a year he took notice of the night sky; it wasn’t that he avoided it, rather he was never given the chance to see it. The prison employees always made sure to shut the barred entrance to the outside world come nightfall. However, tonight he was spared the dark view since everyone had disappeared a week ago. He had been abandoned.

The night sky was a clear and strong shade of navy blue, reminding him of the night when he and Inaho had burned through the atmosphere. That day, on the beach, he had thought his life would end rightfully by the hands of the one he considered to be his nemesis—a wry smile played across his facial features—but of course fate would not have it his way.

He had a few moments to admire the view before suddenly, without warning, the faint thudding of footsteps could be heard from outside his cell. It took Slaine’s energy deprived brain a few seconds to confirm that the sound was indeed the gait of another human being.

A full year behind metal bars had reduced his world to the limited few who resided in the prison with him, and of course Kaizuka Inaho who had condemned him to this fate in the first place. When they had all but vanished he was left with a feeling akin to having been stranded on a desolate island. Most notably, the sense of civilization was nowhere to be found; his prison was deliberately placed far out of the public’s reach; the many houses in the vicinity were all occupied by the military, and most of the time they were vacant.

For this reason, Slaine was not expecting anyone to come close to his prison—unless of course that person was searching for him specifically. That was not the only thing about the intruding noise that bothered him; the footsteps were not approaching from the hall adjacent to his cell. No, each step was definitely being muted by the soil upon contact with the ground. It puzzled Slaine to know that the footsteps grew steadily louder as they approached from the same window he was looking out of. This person was still outside the building? Were they going to just peek through the window? _What’s the point of doing that? They can’t even reach me through the window._

For a while Slaine just sat on his bed, readily waiting for someone to appear on the other side of the small opening above him. He was genuinely curious to know what this person wanted that they would meet him through a one square foot hole on the ground…well…the ground for whoever was outside at least. Besides, he refused to move at the moment; his muscles were as stiff as ice and his empty stomach felt like it was twisting in ways it should never be twisted. Now that he thought about it, the guards had served his last meal about a week ago so why was he still functioning? Was it because he slept so much? Why couldn’t his body just give up?

Wait… Wasn’t he doing something just now? The realization that he had managed to slip into a train of random and useless thoughts, despite the fact that a relatively important event was occurring at the moment, disturbed him to say the least. Nevertheless, he was also glad to know that he was finally starting to lose it; hypothermia at its extremes could cause people to feel mentally confused and disoriented. In his case though, it was probably a mixture of both the icy temperature and his lack of nourishment, which made it hard to focus.

The footsteps were now loud enough to almost echo in his cell. The heavy tread sounded like…military boots?

 _Shit! It’s a guard!! Why now?_ Why did they have to return now? He was just hours away from the end—his end—and the guards just had to make a comeback now? He didn’t want them to cease his suicide attempt in favor of remaining loyal to their orders.

Not to mention, his death was for their own good as well. The guards were always friendly people, but they were never fond of him, and he was certain of the silent fury they held inside. They hated him, and they hated their job, but they had families to feed and therefore orders to follow. They were tolerant of him, yet they had never truly cared for him, so they were better off without him in their lives.

Slaine rapidly took action to hide. He knew that hiding wouldn’t do much since the guard probably knew he was inside, but at least it would serve to stall the inevitable. In a matter of seconds Slaine scrambled off the mattress and rolled under the metal frame of his bed. He hoped that his frantic movements weren’t loud enough to alert the guard of his presence. Be it due to the strong wind or the small window, he prayed that the noise created would dissipate before it reached the other’s ears.

* * *

 

Yuki sighed as she single-handedly lifted her tablet up to take a picture. Fighting the awkward grip of the slim, cold metal, she steadied her hand as best as she could before tapping the camera icon located at the bottom middle of the screen.

As a result of her and Lieutenant Marito’s bet this afternoon she was now surveying the area alone. Yuki felt a shiver course through her as a particularly strong gust of wind swept by from behind, sweeping her long black hair with it. She turned to face the wind in an attempt to get the hair out of her way when that mansion came into view. She’d visited the place with Inaho a couple of times this past year, but he had never revealed to her what was inside. Admittedly she was quite interested in knowing what was—or happened—inside that required security personnel to stand guard at the entrance day in and day out.

Decidedly, Yuki started to head towards the building. She smiled mischievously as she remembered that the place should be evacuated, so no one should be around, meaning that she was free to roam the vicinities as she liked. On top of that she had been given the chore of scrutinizing the area carefully to make note of any potentially useful locations. Marito had said that it was important to know your battle grounds personally, and he’d instructed her to cognitively map out every inch of the place. Therefore, this was perfect; she could explore the place without getting into deep trouble with her superiors if they ever found out.

As she neared the building she decided to circle the perimeters first because chances were, if someone stood guard outside, then someone was inside. She was generally a safe person, so this was a precaution she would take to make sure no personnel were around.

Walking within a foot of the brick walls Yuki carefully turned the corner still holding onto her tablet. She could hear her heart racing with adrenaline from the suspense as her chilled digits unintentionally grasped the slim metal still in her hand tightly. Soon taking note of the unnecessary exertion Yuki let her death grip on the tablet loosen, which also allowed the button she’d unknowingly been pressing to spring back. There was a disruptive flash of brightness as the tablet’s LED lights spilled into the darkness. Yuki’s momentary shock caused her to let go of the tablet and it struck the ground corner-first. It tilted towards the building as it fell, and her luck ran out when it miraculously managed to slip through a barred, vent-like structure on the side of the building.

 _Aaaaaaaah, my tablet!!_ Yuki immediately set one knee on the ground kneeling as she peeked through the vent. Upon closer observation she was surprised to see that it was not an air vent at all. What she saw inside resembled a prison cell: three cement walls and one robust metal gate created an approximately 14 cubic meter room furnished with a solitary bed and table. It seemed unoccupied at the moment, but the bed sheets were messy, indicating that someone had been inside not too long ago.

“Excuse me. Is there anyone inside?” Yuki called out, hoping for someone to maybe wander in from the corridors. Getting in trouble was the least of her worries now. That tablet had some pretty important information, and if a prisoner was actually being held captive inside, he or she should never come in contact with it.

* * *

 

Slaine stilled his movements the moment that he was sure the bed covered him completely. The cement on the floor was a sheet of ice against his back but he was long used to the extreme frost; instead, he closed his eyes and focused on any noises from outside, tuning out all of his other senses.

 _CLANG!_ A series of disarranged, metallic noises jarred his concentration and his eyes instantly flew open. At the same time, from directly above, a much closer thud sounded. Then a hurried shuffle of fabric could be heard. He wondered, _just what is going on up there?_

“Excuse me. Is there anyone inside?” a womanly voice called out from above, and Slaine was again thrown into confusion.

He had never been assigned a female guard throughout his time in the prison. Moreover, this guard didn’t know that he was inside the cell?

“Please, is there anyone inside?”

Her second call confirmed his suspicions: he was sure now that she had no knowledge of his existence. That implied that she wasn’t affiliated with his case and was also probably not concerned about his health and viability. Again she raised her voice, but this time she sounded slightly dejected.

“Aaaaaaaaaah. What am I going to do? The pictures are all inside my tablet.”

Her tone of voice told Slaine that she was talking to herself, and had she mentioned a tablet? Was that the thing that had heavily dropped onto his bed just now? Her pleas sounded urgent and slightly desperate, and Slaine wasn’t the kind of person to just watch someone suffer; he identified with suffering far too much. Gathering his resolve, he convinced himself that she was harmless and wasn’t a threat to his suicide’s success. He then replied to her rhetorical question.

“You can wait a moment, and I’ll grab it for you.”

Yuki jumped at the unforeseen reply. The only thing stopping her from feeling creeped out was the smooth flow of the delicate voice that answered her. Thank god someone had heard her requests, but from where? She could still see the empty corridor, and no one had just recently arrived. Just then, she saw a hand reach out from under the bed to snatch a blanket that lay in the corner of the cell.

Slaine figured that even if she was unaware of his being in this cell, she would still recognize him if she saw his face, and that would create complications. Draping the retrieved fabric around his head with extra material covering his eyes, Slaine made sure to keep his gaze on the floor. Still trembling from the cold, he took his time as he made use of his protesting muscles to crawl out from underneath the bed. Once out, he readjusted the fabric around himself before curling his knees under his body, kneeling, and then standing up. It took him a little longer than normal to move, but that was expected as he was literally freezing to death.

Yuki patiently regarded the strange emergence of her savior with interest. He’d just turned around but she couldn’t see his full visage, which was covered by cloth. He also seemed to be struggling to stand still, tremors and all.

Slaine bent down, moving to reach the tablet as he lifted his feet off the floor to climb onto his bed. Hugging the device to his body with one hand, he then straightened his back to rise and stand. For the first time in his life he was grateful for the hard mattress he stood atop. His violently shaking legs weren’t doing their best at the moment, and he placed a palm on the wall to steady himself. This also allowed time for the blood to get back to his brain before he blacked out.

Yuki waited silently as the inmate moved, but she grew increasingly worried by his apparently uncontrollable shaking. Not to mention, it wasn’t hard to tell that he was underweight. His thin limbs were discernible even under cover. When he stopped, momentarily bracing himself against the wall, she finally voiced her concern.

“Are you alright? You’re shaking wildly.”

Slaine almost looked up when the woman spoke, stopping himself only when his makeshift hood threatened to slide off completely.

He then proceeded to answer her question. “I’m fine… Thank you,” but his reply was nothing but a lie. He wasn’t fine; he just didn’t want help.

Yuki wasn’t convinced, but if he didn’t want to elaborate on the situation, then she would leave it at that. It wasn’t like she could do much anyway; after all, there was a physical barrier between them. She simply returned to silently watching his movements.

Slaine pressed up against the cold surface once more, getting as close to the wall as he could. Reaching up with his empty hand, he curled his fingers around the metal bar of the window, carrying his weight with the same arm to stand on his toes. His grip on the bar allowed his other hand, which held the tablet, to precisely slip the thin device between two of the poles, enabling its owner to pick it up off the ground.

The moment that she grabbed her tablet, Slaine let go of the metal bar and crumpled to his bed, deliberately falling face-first to stay undercover. He could hear her instant retreat, and a twinge of disappointment shot through him. A part of himself—which he denied—was not ready to give up on life and still desired for him to be useful in some way. It hurt that she hadn’t said anything, hadn’t expressed her gratitude. Unfortunately, he knew this was probably the last time he could ever earn such a thing.

Catching a glimpse of the scrawny fingers that shoved the tablet into her hands, Yuki found that she was very, very disturbed. His hands resembled Inaho’s, but not the healthy Inaho that was with her now. They looked like the thin fingers her brother had had after spending months in a coma. She felt the urge to somehow fix the problem. Mentally searching for a solution, an idea came to mind, and she swiftly—perhaps too swiftly—took action, forgetting to tell the prisoner that she would be back.

* * *

 

Sprinting to her car, Yuki clumsily slipped a hand into her pocket and reached for her keys. A second later the vehicle sprang to life. She hastily tugged on the handle of the door and flung herself into the driver’s seat. In less than thirty seconds she was practically speeding down the empty, lifeless road, heading towards the closest store that offered any kind of food. Those spindly fingers she’d just witnessed irked her. Although she still wasn’t too sure why the desire to help him felt this urgent; maybe it was because he appeared as if he would perish at any moment, and she still wanted to express her gratitude.

Not too long after she’d been on the road, Yuki spotted a single convenience store that remained open despite the late hour. With trained ease, she almost drifted into the parking lot in front of the store, hurriedly pushing the car door open and briskly walking past the sliding doors. They elicited a ring from the electronic sensor alerting the store clerk of her arrival.

Yuki momentarily halted in front of the threshold, taking a cursory glance around the store. Once she decided what to get, she speedily fetched the items from around store and circled back to the front table, offering just the right amount of cash to the cashier.

The electronic imitation of a ring could be heard once more as Yuki stepped past the sliding doors in the reverse direction. Striding back towards her vehicle, she took a short detour to pick up an extra jacket from the trunk before jumping back into the driver’s seat. Thrusting her foot onto the gas pedal, she then exited the parking space and sailed back in the direction that she had come from.

* * *

 

Blood chilling at the core, Slaine could no longer feel his fingers. His limbs were like bags of rocks, far too heavy to move, and exhaustion pulled at his consciousness, tugging at his eyelids. Perhaps this was the end: all he had to do now was seal his eyes shut and let the darkness pull him under. He would never wake again.

He let a tiny, bittersweet smile settle in as he gradually closed off his vision and relaxed his muscles. _Goodbye princess. I can’t fulfil your wish. I’m sorry. Goodbye._


	2. Silent Whispers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me longer than expected I must apologise for that. However the good news is that I've settled on the general setting of this story. (Now I'm super exited to write the next chapter!!)
> 
> I must also warn you that the beginning of this chapter starts off kind of slow, my apologies. 
> 
> Aaaaaannd, without further ado, let the reading begin!

Under closed eyes, a series of disorganized memories flowed through his mind. Each one was a tragedy in itself, yet as they played back to back, somehow, the pain didn’t stand out. Suffering was never out of place for him—tragedy was the essence of his life.

His days had been so erratic; he’d lived on every part of the solar system accessible to humans: on earth, on mars, and in landing castles. During which time he’d served as a slave, fought as a soldier and emerged as a count, fighting his way up the social hierarchy. Perhaps through someone else’s eyes, he was a highly achieved individual who’d had the chance to experience almost everything. But in reality his life was a mess; it was a viscous cycle of mistake after mistake after mistake, and in the end, the consequences had cost him everything.

Maybe in another life the chance to live as a civilian would be granted, but that was in another life; he had to put an end to this one first. Exhausted beyond belief, it was time to take a break—time to eternally let his soul rest.

Under closed eyes, the last of Slaine’s memories glided across his conscience, inky blackness swallowed up the final images and then a moment of nothing ensued.

“hey, don’t go to sleep yet!”

A breathless voiced ripped through the silence of his mind and an illusionary hand tugged at his collar, forcefully dragging him out of the murky waters.

_No! I can’t do this anymore! Please… let me go…_

“Wake up! ”

_No!_ Slaine tugged at the roughly woven fabric which still covered his entire backside while visibly hugging in to himself. _Go away!_   

Above him, Yuki watched as the body beneath the blanket curled into a protective cocoon. She exhaled, releasing a breath of air that she’d unconsciously been keeping— _perfect, he’s still awake._ Obviously her company was unwanted, the prisoner had clearly just ignored her and she was confident that it wasn’t because he was deaf. His blatant refusal to listen to her drew upon a deep-seated stubbornness that she’d initially developed as a means to counter her brother’s outrageous ideas. She knew full well that Inaho had never intentionally tried to aggravate her, but regardless, she swore that his actions and decisions kept her at a high risk of heart disease. Sometimes, she just wished that he would listen to her— wished that she had the chance to play the role of the sister that she was. Unfortunately, living in a time of war had refused her of that privilege.

She could never persuade Inaho to listen when it mattered, but with this inmate she pledged that she would at least get him to eat something. It was just food; it shouldn’t be too challenging to have him accept it. He was dangerously thin, and the possibility of a lifeless carcass standing in his place the next time she returned freaked her out. She would not have that, life was too precious, the war had taught her time and time again.

Aware that she wasn’t going to catch his attention by simply telling him to wake, Yuki tried a more daring approach.

“If you don’t rise now, I’m going to call the guards.”

It was lie of course, but this was the only card she could play. Intuition had given her the inkling that he wasn’t too fond of the guards. Obviously, people didn’t just decide to cram themselves under a bed; he definitely hadn’t done it to entertain himself.

Confident in her deductions, Yuki waited for a reaction from the other side. However, the figure beneath the bars lay unresponsive to her threat. Had he completely closed her off?

Unbeknownst to her, the prisoner _was_ listening intently, and her threat _had_ almost worked.

Slaine’s shallow breaths grew heavy at the mentioning of the guards. He was only a hair’s width away from panic when his reasoning settled in; reminding him that there weren’t any guards to alert. Considering that the woman herself was most likely not a new member of the prison staff, Slaine surmised that her threat was indeed a bluff. He therefore chose not to acknowledge her attempted blackmail.

Outside, Yuki’s patience was growing thin. For a short while she even contemplated calling Inaho, but soon enough decided against it. Inaho was busy at the moment, she didn’t know what the crisis was, but the face he had worn as he stepped out of the house this morning betrayed his attempt to hide the trouble. Plus, she wasn’t even supposed to know that someone was in this building, Inaho had deliberately kept it from her.

Instead, Yuki reached into her backpack and produced a phone from its depths. The late hours had painted the interior of the chamber almost completely black. Her only means of seeing inside involved the usage of her phone’s blinding camera lights. A flashlight would have also been sufficient, had the batteries not been previously exhausted.

Passing her finger over the flashlight icon of her phone, Yuki shined a steady beam of light through the bars of the window. She felt rude for interrupting the man’s sleep, but she had no ill intentions. Bringing her phone up to the bars, she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear before leaning in closer to get a better look. Yuki was slightly disappointed when she saw that the man remained under cover; she had thought he would remove the disguise.

Shifting her line of sight away from the bed Yuki examined the rest of the cell. Just then, her balanced faltered sending her face first into the wall and poles and a heavy ‘clatter’ echoed through the silence. Apparently, choosing to crouch with energy drained legs was not the best of choices. One second later, she watched, wide eyed, as her phone crossed the gap between the metal making its way down the interior of the chamber.

Slaine felt an unidentified blunt pressure beat his hip bone when the phone hit him above the blanket, it skipped off his body, catching on the ruffles, and slid to a rest at his side. _What was that!?_ The uncertainty of not knowing what it was or what it entailed elicited a fear to well up inside him.

“Aaah, again?! Does your cell often have the tendency to rob electronics?”

The woman’s words dissipated his anxiety, and along with it a nervous chuckle flowed out of his lips, more for relief then humor. He subsequently became aware of the fact that he'd just made a noise. _That was bad_ , _had she heard that?_

The night was too hushed for Yuki to have missed it with her ears next to the window. A grin graced her features; she hadn’t been blocked out.

“Um, sorry but could you help me get my phone?”

There was no use ignoring her now, the woman knew he was listening to her, and that probably meant that she wasn’t going to give up. Unlike a moment ago, the unyielding force which beckoned him to end his life subsided. It didn’t matter when, he would die regardless of whether he returned her phone or not. Carelessly, Slaine started prodding around at his side, when his hand landed on the solid frame of the phone he mentally took note of the spot and slipped an arm out from under the blanket; retracting it once his hand grasped the rectangular object. At the same time, he placed both elbows on the bed and hugged his knees in to his chest.

Letting the prisoner take his time, Yuki felt a mild sense of déjà vu as she watched him struggle to move for the third time in one night. He stood up with the same, If not more, amount of effort that he had exerted just half an hour ago. Patiently, she waited as the same slim fingers hooked around the metal bar and moments later he sent her phone across the space in between. Rapidly, before he had to time to loosen his grip and pull away, Yuki thrust her hand through the gap with precision closing a fist around his wrist,  it was cold and thin... far too thin.

The sudden contact took Slaine by surprise and he hardly had the time to react before he was locked in place. Immediately releasing the pole by reflex he jerked his arm away from the hold, but it was too late, she’d already established a firm grasp around his wrist.

“what is the meaning of this?”

The tone in his voice held vehemence; living in Verse had trained his mind to always assume that the worst case scenario was a reality.

“Please don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt you.”

With a stable voice Yuki tried to calm the man down, She then proceeded to explain her intentions.

“You weren’t listening to me before so I was kind of worried you’d return to ignoring my presence once I had my phone back. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Slaine silently exhaled, her explanation made sense, but he refused to let all of his defences down. There was a slim chance that she could be lying and he would not risk it.

“Is that so? I’m listening now, so could you kindly let go of me?”

Had he not been suspicious of her goal, his words would not have been so rudely—by his own standards—pieced together. However, even when he was weary he made sure to not sound demanding in any way. A certain fear had been engrained into him during his time on Verse; he knew far too well the consequences that thoughtless words could provoke.  

“…Unfortunately I cannot.”

Yuki still wanted to keep the upper hand. She would not release him until he accepted her gifts.

“Why?”

Slaine’s furrowed his eyebrows; had he been correct? Was she aiming for something else? As long as that something had nothing to do with his death however, it did not matter.

“I’m not a hundred percent confident that you won’t disappear on me the moment I do so.”

Slaine sighed, he wasn’t intending to ignore her again but it appeared that this Woman was equally weary of his behavior. Finally, he decided to give in to her, the conversation would end faster. Already, His legs were starting to tire from standing.

“Then what do you want from me?”

Yuki felt somewhat annoyed at his reply. She could sense his eagerness to get rid of her; did he hate her that much?

“Nothing, I don’t want anything from you. In fact I want to give you something”

It took Slaine a moment to process her comment.Had he heard that right?

“What? I don’t think I know who you are…” He couldn’t check since looking up also meant letting her see him.

“Actually, I’m pretty sure you don’t know me, but that doesn’t matter. I wanted to give you this as a thanks for returning my tablet just now.”

When she finished speaking, Yuki awkwardly reached for her backpack pulling out the jacket and a Yakisoba pan (bread) that she had bought earlier. She put the jacket on her lap, now kneeling on the grass, and offered the bread to him. She then noticed that he couldn’t see what it was so she voiced out her offerings.

“Here, I brought you a jacket and Yakisoba pan”

_Yakisoba pan?_ Slaine had never heard of it before, but he could tell it was a bread of some kind. Now he felt conflicted, accepting her gifts meant that he would have to make use of them, but he did not want to, food and warmth meant life and he did not want life. However, there was also a high possibility that she would not leave until he took them from her, she was stubborn, he could tell. With nothing to lose Slaine attempted to refuse anyways.  

“I’m sorry but as much as I’d like to accept them, I cannot. As you can see I am in prison, accepting your gifts could potentially lengthen my sentence.”

What he said was presumably true except Yuki knew that there weren’t any personal around at the moment. In fact, she had been surprised that the man hadn’t already been moved to different location. Something fishy was definitely going on here. She would have to do some research when she got home.

“It’s alright, no one’s around to discover our illegal act right now, they should all have evacuated. As long as we keep it a secret, no one will find out.”

Although she knew he couldn’t see it; Yuki pressed a finger to her lips, forming the universal quiet sign, as she finished the last sentence.

Slaine was dumfounded, was this woman willing to break the law just to provide him with food and warmth? Was she incredibly kind hearted or just naïve? He could not tell. He also mentally noted her mentioning of an evacuation. So everyone had evacuated, why? Certainly something was going on.

“You… are you aware of what you’re trying to do right now? You’re attempting to break the law; that could easily put you in the same position as I’m in right now.”

Yuki appreciated his inquiry it suggested that he cared for her wellbeing, she was starting to like this man.

“I work in the military so I’m conscious of the rules but I can’t just watch you die, that would be too cruel. Accept the bread and jacket. I’ll take responsibility if anyone finds out.”

This Woman was just way too kind, and Slaine felt that her kindness was wasted on a dead man. She couldn’t save him, not from himself at least and he questioned if she would even try to help him if she knew who he was, probably not. A clenching ache squeezed his heart the more he thought about it. No one would willingly risk anything to save a mass murderer like himself. He deserved to wither away trapped in prison.

“Why do you go that far, for a criminal like me?” He had to stop his voice from cracking.

“I deceived, I stole, I killed… I’m not worth the risk.”      

The man’s words tugged at her heart strings, It was evident that his crimes had never stopped torturing him, even now. Hesitantly Yuki spoke with a soothing tone.

“A year ago, in the war, my younger brother lost his eye. I honestly thought it was over when I found him, drenched in a pool of his own blood. We rushed him to the hospital as fast as we could, but the best we could do was remove the bullet and stench the flow of blood. The next half a year was a waiting game. During that time, I thought a lot about our lives: in the past, and in the future. It occurred to me that he’d lost the chance to do so many things. It’s the same with you, you can’t atone for your sins if you die right now, it’d only be a painful death. I didn’t want to see him lose those chances, and I don’t want to see you losing them either, Life is precious, you can’t just go throwing it away.”

Slaine swallowed the lump in his throat, he had indirectly, through the war, caused so much sorrow to befall this woman, yet she was helping him right now because she didn’t know who he was. Her selflessness was shredding his heart to pieces.

“I’m sorry… to hear that” His words held a double meaning to which Yuki only understood one of them, and it wasn’t the one he truly wanted her to hear. He wished that he could give her a true sincere apology, but if he unveiled his disguise she’d probably be too enraged to accept it. That was how much he deserved to be hated by her.

“If it’s alright, may I ask for your names?” He would at least remember their names.

Yuki thought his inquiry was kind of unusual for the current situation, but regardless she gave them to him. It was good that he was taking the initiative to talk.

“I’m Yuki, Kaizuka Yuki, and my brother’s name is Kaizuka Inaho…”

The rest of her sentence was lost to him. _Inaho, Kaizuka Inaho._ his eyes were wide open ,never mind indirectly causing her pain. He was the one that sent the bullet straight through Inaho’s head, aiming for a kill. His knees buckled, He couldn’t do this anymore. He wanted to perish. The world was so big, yet no matter where he was or who he met; he had no right to live among them. He had caused too much anguish for too many people.

Yuki didn’t have the chance to ask for his name in return because suddenly she felt as though she was lifting a sand bag; the man’s entire weight was on her arm.

“Wha…! Hey… are you ok? What’s wrong?”

Although he wasn’t heavy—quite the opposite in fact—she was glad that she hadn’t slacked off during military training and weight lifting. Otherwise she would have lost her grasp on him.  

“Hey! Seriously! What’s wrong!?” Yuki’s voice was laced with alarm, he wasn’t answering, and since she’d met him he’d been in a bad shape. What if he was chronically ill? She can’t help him from outside, and there wasn’t anyone else around at the moment. What was she going to do?

“Please let go of me” Slaine only marginally heard the woman’s frantic voice, he didn’t care, he just wanted her to let him go.

“What’s wrong? All of a sudden,” Briefly Yuki’s concern was washed out by relief, but then confusion filled in the spot. What was going on—what had gotten into him?

“let go… please… I’m begging you,” Slaine’s voiced started to quiver, He couldn’t stop the burning sensation of tears in his eyes.

“I’m not letting go until you tell me what’s going on,” In a stern tone Yuki demanded an answer from the man. She then reverted back to using her soothing voice, “And you have yet to accept the bread and jacket, I’m not giving up, just so you know.”

“You don’t understand, I’m not a someone _you_ should be helping.”

He wasn’t a person anyone should be helping for that matter, but in particular Yuki—Kaizuka Yuki—should not be helping him—the person who’d shot her brother at point blank.

His word choice was not lost on Yuki. This man was in some way connected to her, or more likely, her brother.

“Have you done something to Naoh-kun?” She decided to ask him directly “,if that’s what it is, he’s fine right now, and that boys strong, he’s probably forgiven you already.”

Forgiven? There was no way Inaho had forgiven him; no sane person would, after losing half of their vision.

“It’s not that simple, I... I don’t deserve to be forgiven,” he slowly shifted his weight back onto his own feet. The pain in his left shoulder, the one that he’d essentially been dangling from, was becoming intolerable.      

“Well then that’s something between you and him, it doesn’t concern me and he won’t get angry at you for listening to me. It’s okay you know”

What was okay!? Nothing about this was okay! Slaine wanted to rip off his disguise to prove his point, but at the same time he couldn’t do it. He found that he craved the care that Yuki was giving him; it’d been so long since anyone treated him like a human. He was utterly disgusted with himself. When had he become so selfish that leaching off someone’s kindness was alright. Maybe his true form was the evil dictator, and he just hadn’t known it.

Yuki pushed the Yakisoba pan through the window.

 “Take it, I won’t accept no as an answer.” At this point she wasn’t even sure why she still insisted on giving him the bread. Perhaps it was because she had promised herself earlier to not stop until he took a bite out of it. She mentally sorted out her facts to form a better argument.

”If you still feel sorry, I’ll consider it an apology if you eat the bread…” Yuki paused for a moment wondering if she should make him wear the jacket too. Might as well get him to wear it as well since his wrist felt like a bar of ice “…and wear the jacket.”

Slaine was emotionally spent, there was no winning her. He let himself pretend that what she said was true, and that he’d be evened with her by accepting and making use of what she offered. It wasn’t that easy of course but he wanted to fake that it was. He wanted to lift the burden off his shoulders, even if it was only for a short while. Single handedly pulling his blanket completely over his head, Slaine made sure that it wouldn’t slide off of him. He then reached up feeling for the window. Yuki recognized his movements and she quickly guided the bread into his hand, not wanting him to second guess himself.

Tenderly, Slaine held on to the cling wrapped object and brought it down to his level. He could hear the jarring vibration of a zipper running along the metal pole as Yuki shoved the jacket through the window. Luckily, the one she had brought was a made of a thin Gor-Tex and fit through the slot easily enough. Having nowhere to place the bread Slaine dropped it on to his bed and returned his hand to the opening above. When he took hold of the jacket Yuki let go of it enabling him to receive the folded material.

He then paused, “Yuki... san? can you let go of my arm now? It’s starting to feel numb.” 

“your arm? Oh! Um, sorry,” Yuki had completely forgotten that she'd been holding his arm. She noticed, the position she was holding it in effectively drained his blood. She let go at once.

Slaine slowly retracted his limb allowing his shoulder to adjust to the movement, minimizing the pain. He massaged his wrist and flicked it a few times before setting his arm at his side.

“Sorry, does it hurt?” Yuki felt a twinge of remorse as she knew she’d been squeezing the heck out of his wrist at one point.

“It’s ok, I think it’s bruised but it will heal,” He didn’t particularly mind it.

Bruises on his body were as common as bats were in a cave back when he lived with Count Cruhteo on his landing castle. Basically they were everywhere that didn’t show on the surface.

“Sorry, I’ll bring you something to put on it tomorrow.”

Slaine felt a sense of dread wash through him “, you’re coming back tomorrow!?”

“I’m going to be around here for the next week or so, so yeah I’ll be back tomorrow” Yuki turned her phone on to check her schedule to be sure she was alone tomorrow. Visiting him would be too risky otherwise.

Slaine didn’t care anymore, he could wait for one more week, there was no deadline for suicide.  

“Oh... I see”      

 “AH! It’s already ten! I need to head home, Naoh-kuns waiting,” She was supposed to be home by nine o’clock today. Inaho had said he would explain himself when he got home tonight. She'd asked him what was troubling him this morning.

“But before that, I need to see you put on the jacket and eat the Yakisoba pan.”

Slaine sighed, with nimble fingers he unraveled the jacket fitting himself in to it and zipping it up to his neck. He pulled the hood over his head and and tugged at the string in the front tightening the rim of the hood around his face so it wouldn’t come off. He slipped a few pieces of hair back inside the hood and finally flung the blanket off of his body.

Yuki was again let down as she noted that he was still in disguise. The only difference was that now she could clearly see how thin his frame was. It looked as if one could just snap his limbs in half.

Slaine continued to follow her orders picking the bread up off the bed he removed the cling film on one side. He stopped for a second to observe the bizarre creation; it resembled a sandwich of sort except the middle was filled with noodles. How was he supposed to eat this? Do you eat the noodles first and then the bread? Or do you eat it together _?_ He didn’t know.

Yuki caught his hesitation and urged him on “, Just try it, it tastes pretty good.”  

After a long moment of contemplation with no answer, Slain went with intuition and bit into the bread and noodles together. She wasn’t lying; Cold as it was, it still tasted fantastic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did I manage to write one whole chapter just to make Slaine eat a piece of bread (==;) I must be crazy, but regardless I hope you enjoyed that. XD 
> 
> Next chapter, we move on to the action that I've planned, which was supposed to be for this chapter except... well... Slaine refused to eat his bread. (Actually It's not really his fault though, the fault is with me!)
> 
> And finally, Inaho will appear, but I wan't that moment to be special-- or at least eventful-- so I can't rush it. ( he'll most likely appear next chapter, If not, no latter then the one after that.)
> 
> Thanks for Reading and Enjoying! Until next time!


	3. Blazing Hellfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must thank you all for waiting, again, so long for this chapter. I'll still try for a Friday update next week! 
> 
> I must also warn you that the material in the second half of this chapter is rather heavy and if you're not too fond of disastrous fires be weary of the final section.
> 
> Also, I am no expert on military vehicles, so I have no Idea if the scenario of this scene actually works. If something bothers you, feel free to inform me and I'll see if I can twist the plot to make it work!
> 
> And now I should really shut up and let you read! Enjoy!

The fragmented moon cast a hollow white glow over the still blades of grass and trees. Miles away, two dark silhouettes raced along the road, heading towards their sole destination.

* * *

 

Yuki shook out her uniform cardigan slipping a hand into the sleeve and pulling it over herself. Fixing the collar out of habit she tilted her head towards the kitchen sinks on her left; where Inaho was currently rinsing out the dishes.

“Noah-kun, you heading out with me?” she asked inquisitively.

Although they were both heading towards the same place today, Inaho and she both kept their own schedules. Generally, they worked independently; moving from work to home on their accord. Yuki knew that even though he wasn’t young anymore, the amount of autonomy and maturity he held matched that of men far beyond his own age. To her, he was still a child—her kid brother—and it was regrettable the amount of youth he’d lost due to the war, but that was something she had to accept. War had shattered the definition of a typical life for the whole of society, and the aftermath hadn’t managed to salvage all the pieces; some of which they’d lost forever.

Inaho reached out to silence the running tap, wiping his hands on his apron “, No, I still have some ends to tie up here, you can go first, I’ll head out in about… two hours,” he replied while glancing at his watch. _Two hours should be enough._  

Yuki was now tugging her military boots on “, Alright, drive safely, and don’t strain your eye out too much, It’s getting dark,” she reminded him, well aware of her brother’s tendency to disregard the physical pain. It worried her that he never really seemed to care.

Inaho gave her a blank stare which eventually softened in to a tiny smile “, I’ll keep that in mind,” he promised, “, It hasn’t acted up in a while so don’t worry,” He then added. Ironically, it was always his immediate reassurance that put her on edge. It felt like he was only watching out for her, or more correctly, trying to cast away her worry before it even showed itself. Similar to how a man never says a woman’s cooking is bad; to evade the potential volley of temper she would throw at him. Inaho was avoiding her constant concern over him, and she understood his intentions. He was trying to return to the carefree life which they had leaded before—when matters weren’t as serious, and life was just a little more meaningless. Yuki made an effort to too, but it wasn’t always easy, and things were often times harder for the ones watching the suffering as supposed to sufferer themselves. Just like death… it hurt only for the ones left behind.

Shaking her head to shed _that_ particular train of thought, Yuki tightened the straps around her second boot and rose to her feet. She turned to her right and crouched down to unzip her backpack which rested on the ledge: wallet, water bottle, keys, phone, tablet, ID, flash light and batteries... _something else was missing._ Halting her rummage through the bag’s contents Yuki lifted her head to visually search the house for clues. As she turned to the kitchen fridge a latent memory sprung to life; which reminded her of a promise to a certain person who resided behind bars. Yuki made to move back into the house, but she almost tripped on her thick, heavy boots instead.

“Naoh-kun, can you grab the arnica ointment from the fridge for me?” she inquired, after choosing against unstrapping her boots. Inaho gave her a quick, barely noticeable nod before reaching out for the fridge handle on his side and collecting the herbal balm from its side racks. He walked over and presented it to her “, Yuki-ne did you twist your ankle?” Tilting his head ever so slightly to the side Inaho’s eyes were trained on her. If she hadn’t known him better she would have thought he was watching her for something—trying to read a lie even—but this was just his odd way of showing concern.

“I’m alright Naoh-kun,” she informed and then stopped to consider her reply “, it’s just that the terrain is a lot rougher than I thought, so just in case.”

Yuki reached out thankfully accepting the little jar from her brother’s hand, she hoped her half lie had somehow managed to slip past her brother’s scrutinizing gaze. Even though she knew he wasn't doubting her explanation, his expression sure made it seem like that, and lying straight to his face felt… like a mistake, really. Although, She wasn’t going to keep it forever she also knew that now was not the time to ask about the prison. Inaho was already dealing with plenty of issues pertaining to the verse empresses currently condition. Yuki herself had been petrified when Inaho had told her what the problem was; Empress Asseylum Verse Allusia was bedridden, with poison surging through her very lifeblood.

According to Inaho’s informant, it was about a month ago that the empress had started feeling ill. She coughed here and there but it hadn’t seemed like anything more than a simple bacterial infection, and so no one paid it any mind. Even Asseylum herself rejected medical care beyond that of simple antibiotics. However, soon it became painfully evident of what a mistake that had been; her condition had only worsened till she was drained of the energy to even stand on her own two feet. By that time, a team of elite medical staff were already working on her blood samples, milling it down to the grains, frantically searching for a vaccine which they, unfortunately, still have yet to discover.

About a week and a half ago, Earth—or a few higher governmental establishments including the military higher ups—had also been warned of her situation. Yuki mildly wondered if the recent evacuation orders and her deployment had a relation to this, She hoped it did not.

Heading towards the heavily armoured, army green van Yuki inserted a key into its lock. She’d used her own car yesterday, but after hearing about the recent versian muddle of events she opted for the safer vehicle; which would increase her chances of survival in the sliver of a case that something were to happen. She wasn’t too keen on losing her life after all that she’d been through to live it. The stutter of strong engines could be heard as the van’s headlights flashed to life and the garage doors reviled the partially dimmed daylight. It took a good hour and a half to reach her destination, so Yuki wasted no time relocating onto the road.

Through the window Inaho watched impassively as Yuki left the house. He then turned to his room, settling a cup of water on his work table before taking a seat in front of the desktop. He shook the mouse to awaken the monitor and changed the user on the “welcome” screen. Smoothly tapping in a pass-code Inaho started typing away on the keyboard accessing file after file of highly classified information. On the screen “Totsukage Kiriha” surfaced repeatedly, but he wasn’t looking for this alias. He was looking for the other name—the one he had to get rid of—the only file that held _that person's—Slaine Saazbaum Troyard’s—_ true name. Beyond the glass and curtains sky blue faded into darker blue as the hour passed by. 

* * *

 

Yuki drove as the sky deepened from light values to darker values, and she watched as housing blended gracefully into a million trees. Above her, the clouds had cleared to uncover the silver pieces of the moon. Underneath her, the clatter of crossing the mini bridge served as a landmark hinting at the fast approaching end of her road trip. Eventually, as she’d planed, it was about eight o’clock when the tiny military village came into view. Her vehicle broke out of the never ending green of the forest and finally something other than leaves could be seen.

Taking a few turns Yuki followed a well-known route back to the mansion looking prison, she had to work fast if Inaho was going to join her later in the night. Pulling over onto the side of the wide, empty pavement an unexpected movement registered in the corner of her eyes. Out of reflex Yuki turned her head towards the sight, and she could just barely trace two motorcyclists darting down the adjacent road, heading straight towards the intersection from behind the mansion. At a time like this, they were kind of out of place but she brushed those thoughts out of the way, the pair were probably just two night owls in their early twenties—teenagers who were still young enough to mess around and ignore their natural circadian rhythms.

Yuki hadn’t known how utterly wrong she could be. In the next moment the two crazy double wheelers ramped up their speed to insane levels, and her lips twisted into a frown as the back rider seemingly hopped easily off of the bike splitting the single silhouette into two. The front rider continued gunning down the road with the now occupant less bike in tow. Yuki’s eyes grew weary, that had not been anything remotely close to normal riding behaviour; the last time she’d checked abandoning your motorcycle mid ride was not a trend, what in the world were they doing?

Their next move supplied her with the ugly answer. Yuki’s heart stopped as she witnessed, in slow motion, the two bikes stray from their path. Her eyelids slammed close as the searing glare of the front lights hit her cornea. Her breathing grew labored, _what!?_ Brain struggling to keep up with the external stimuli she almost realized a second too late. The headlights were shining in her eyes; which meant that it was speeding straight towards her, or… _no… not me!… it’s!_ She slammed her foot on to the gas pedal. _The back of the building! Damn it, he’s still inside!_

With war ingrained focus Yuki skilfully flew up the side of the building kicking up a pile of soil as she drifted to the back and raced the motorcycle to its target. She was bare centimetres away from the back wall and Yuki dared not to stray any further as there was no other way she could possibly make it in time. The front rider had turned back to the road and presently only the suicidal motorcycle was serving its purpose, but that was of no concern. In fact, it gave her a few lucky milliseconds to slip her van between the building and the quarter ton missile on wheels. At this point there was hardly any difference between the two. She ducked bracing herself for the impact, hoping that the van would hold up. Small as it was, the motorcycle was fast, fast enough to stay balanced without a rider.

A deafening roar sent the armored van skittering violently on its wheels and slamming straight into the brick wall which gave way like paper, crumbling instantly upon impact. Yuki’s hand’s covered her head but it wasn’t enough to completely block out the brute force as her body was flung in multiple directions within mere seconds, and the top of her head collided against the headboard. Black dots swirled in her vision scattering her sight and Yuki had to fight to keep her world together. Slowly losing the battle her conscience withered away, and before she was claimed by the dark her hazy eyes met with a pair of aquamarine orbs. They were _beautiful,_ like crystals, glistening under water. She tried to warn this person, but a faint “ Run” was all that She’d managed to slip out of her lips before the heavy, unnatural leadenness engulfed her mind.

* * *

 

Slaine sat with his back pressed against the cement wall under the window. He adorned the thin green Gore- Tex jacket waiting for the Woman’s arrival. Normally, he would have went to sleep maybe two or three hours ago since he really didn’t have much to do with his time. Except, tonight anticipation had kept his eyes open without his conscious consent; It was his brain and body that needed the human contact, not his soul. He gathered his legs into a lonely embrace and cradled his head in-between his knees.

Maybe he should just fall asleep, She’d probably forgotten that he'd existed. If not, than unlike him, she most certainly had more things to do with her time then casually breaking the law to talk with a prisoner. He understood, it wasn’t like he expected anyone to actually care enough about him at this point in life. That would be plain old childish, and he'd long lost those privileges in life.

A muted roar of distant engines leaked in through the window. Suddenly the tell tale screech of a drifting car—and a heavy one at that—cut into the silence of his cell. Slaine immediately covered his ears from the sharp, cutting noise, and in a matter of seconds the brick wall above the cement blew to smithereens. Dust and Debris were sent in every direction shooting over his head as the painfully loud, honking alarm of the van beat at his ear drums. As soon as the loose bricks crashed to the ground Slaine craned his neck around looking up to the origin of the hellish movie scene. His blood drained out of him when his sight focused in on the disaster above. _Oh god, it’s going to fall!_

The sleek side of the green monster above replaced the brick wall of his confinement. One back wheel of the Van hovered dangerously over the ledge mere centimeters away from where the ground cut off, and the hole which was his cell started. Slaine scrambled off his bed tripping over stone to get to his desk. He removed the chair from its post and set it on the rock mattress he’d been given as bed. Well... that particular term was never going to be more accurate, since his bed was literally covered by a layer of solid bricks right now. He’d been fortunate that none of them had whacked him in the head on their way down, but then again, he may have preferred that they had.

Stepping one foot onto the mattress, Slaine gave himself a boost with his back leg and along with the momentum he lifted himself onto the chair. Crouching on the small square of space he quickly caught his breath. His body was still weak as hell and the heady mix of adrenaline working on low volumes of blood effectively left him disadvantageously light headed; it probably wasn’t supposed to do that, and it hindered the speed at which he would get to the van.  

Personally he didn’t mind getting crushed to death by an army vehicle but someone was probably inside the thing, and as Yuki had said, he couldn’t very well leave the driver to die, life wasn’t something to _carelessly_ throw away. His life was a different case of course, but this person had people waiting for them at home. This person had someone who cared whether they’d make it back alive.

Slaine hooked both sets of fingers over the rough edge of the blasted bricks. Sucking in a breath of air, he then let it go as he utilized every fiber of his strength to haul himself up onto the wall. His arms burnt and they screamed as he pushed them to their limits. His physique wasn’t usually devastatingly weak, but tapping into the amount of strength that he was showing at the moment was already no easy feat. His head was spinning and his muscles severely lacked burnable fuel of any kind. Yesterday’s meal helped a bit but dehydration made it hard for his body to harvest the chemical energy. As he painstakingly eased a knee onto the hard rock of the wall Slain pushed off with his hands, sending himself sprawling onto the ground. His fists clenched on the grass beneath him as he heaved violently trying to regain the air that he’d lost.

Five seconds was all that he allowed himself to rest before rolling onto his side and climbing onto his not as exhausted legs. As he rose, he became all the more aware of the blazing hellfire that grew beside him. A motorcycle on its side connected with the heavily dented metal door of a van. The whole scene was basking in a sea of flames, and the helpful, but not at all welcoming scent of gasoline warned of an even greater blast to come. Inside the vehicle a woman with long black hair was strapped limply to the driver’s seat by a strong seatbelt.

Slaine cursed under his breath, he needed to get her out of there, but one door was unreachable, and the other covered in flames. Biting the unbidden fear that threatened to paralyze him, Slaine picked up a piece of rubble from the ground. Briskly narrowing the distance between himself and the army van, He made an instantaneous decision hammering the rock against the thick glass wind shield. It spider webbed going opaque from the cracks as Slain sent a second blow to make sure that there was a big enough hole to work with.

Heedless of the sharp pain that shot through his palm, Slaine worked fast, removing chunks of glass until half of the windshield was a gaping hole. The dry heat emitting from the flames licked at his skin, and he thought, with twisted amusement, that he was currently a highly flammable dehydrated bag of cells. Slaine mentally slapped himself for thinking of such a gruesome thing, but unfortunately he reckoned that the image was not that far from the truth. He had to get them out of there, fast!

Already kneeling on the front protrusion of the van Slaine popped his torso into the interior front row and he raised his head. Aquamarine orbs met golden yellow and for a short while they both just stared, but the woman’s gaze glazed over at the same time that her lips moved “, Run” She lightly mumbled, head dropping to her chest .

_This voice… it can’t be… Yuki-San?_ Slaine clenched his teeth and started fumbling for the seat belt. The crackling of the flames taunted him from all directions as he desperately searched for the release. Where was it! Following the line of material down to the buckle he touched the hard plastic and immediately pressed on the button lodged into the contraption. A hot sear grazed the side of his finger as the seat belt released and burning metal touched his skin. Instantly jerking his hand away Slaine blew on the wound and then yanked on the seat belt discarding it to the side. Ignoring the pain as best as he could Slaine hooked his fingers under Yuki’s arms resting her head on his shoulder. The Residual sharp edges of glass cut into his knees, but he paid it no mind. Cruteoh’s constant whomping  had trained him to have an unimaginable tolerance to pain, but being able to tolerate it did not mean that he couldn’t feel every agonizing ounce of it. He winced as he pulled Yuki out of the van with his gashed up hands.

Being as careful as he could with the mere second’s that he knew he had, Slaine eased her body out of the hole avoiding the glass protrusions of the wind shield frame. Regardless, a few small edges still sliced her leg drawing blood through the slightly thinner legging material under her skirt. Once she was out Slaine basically rolled off the front of the car hitting the soil with his back and shouldering the brunt of the force from Yuki. He coughed curling onto his side with Yuki in his arms. Beside him the already burning mechanical part burst into flames, and the imminent explosion flared in his mind. Slaine propped himself up with strength that he hadn’t known he’d possessed, focusing on anything but his screaming body. Hugging the still, unconscious woman to his chest, he started dragging both of their bodies single-handedly away from the van—away from the flames. She lay sideways on his arm and chest as Slaine pulled with his free hand simultaneously kicking the ground with his legs. It was an awkward movement but that was all that he could do with the energy he had left. When they were about six to seven meters away, the burning wreckage sparked and Slaine knew He wouldn’t get any further. Instead, He set Yuki on the floor gathering her into a ball and faced his back to the inferno. Shielding as much of the metallic scatter as his slim body would allow, Slaine hovered over her unconscious body, closing his eyes.

The deathly eruption blasted metallic sharp nails in every direction. Slaine tightened his hold around Yuki, distractedly feeling the hard holster of a gun under her blazer. A Tiny scream escaped him as a sharp pain cut into his senses, and a sliver of car metal dug into his back slicing his flesh. Fortunately, that was the only piece that had managed to cut deeply into him, and he could deal with it. Physical pain was the least of his worries at the moment, Yuki’s life was more important. A final gush of wind and smoke sent a burning heat over them, but the flying car parts came to a stop.

In a matter of seconds the blazing hell-fire had calmed into an unreal serenity, and only the crackling of lingering flames could be heard.


	4. Following Through

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally missed the Friday deadline, sorry guys, I keep missing my intended update schedule. However this chapter is slightly longer than the usual so I hope that that makes up for it, if only just a little bit. Ahahahahah... (If you havn't already noticed, I'm probably just borderline sane, anyway...) 
> 
> This chapter had a heck of a lot kinks to smooth out so I hope it doesn't dampen the reading experience too much. I will now keep quiet and let you guys read. Enjoy!

Slaine hugged Yuki tightly as the final gust of smog rushed past them. He then slowly released her back onto the ground as his eyelids sprung open. Steadying himself with a hand on either side of her shoulders, he barely held back from crumbling onto her as the stinging pain from his lacerated palms shot through his entire body.

Now that they’d overcome the daunting peril, every gash on his body screamed for attention. It was as if the wounds were paying him back for his earlier ignorance, and his own unrelenting determination to not succumb to the physical torment reminded him of the past—of the torture chamber. However, even this pain proved to be thousands of light years inferior to that of those deliberate slashes. Each one, specifically and ingeniously inflicted to cast unbearable haywire upon his senses. Cruhteo had been eerily good at scavenging for those excruciating spots, and it didn’t help that the count’s aim almost always guaranteed a perfect hit.

Back then, he had endured the beating to protect Asseylum; today he protected Yuki, and he wondered mildly, why he’d always somehow end up having to protect someone in secrecy. It was kind of absurdly amusing really.     

A hurl of nausea forced him to slam his eyes shut again, and he hung his head limply from his shoulders trying to pull his slipping conscience back into place. Just a few more minutes would be enough; as long as he could hide Yuki from whoever had attacked them—attacked him— his job would be done, and he would let the withering awareness have its reign.

Just barely, Slaine heard the beastly hum of a motorcycle engine, which warned him of the returning offenses. He forcefully kicked his wandering brain back into higher cognitive functioning, searching for an escape route. Yuki wasn’t mobile, let alone awake, at the moment, and his own arms and legs were currently closer to flailing appendages than usable muscle. Clearly, with these miserable conditions, moving out of sight was not an option; he had to think of something else, and he had to do it fast! Slaine ransacked his head for something— _anything_ —and the lingering feeling of a holster pressed up against his chest gave him hope. _The gun! Yuki-san’s gun!_ He was sure he’d felt it just now.

With precise movements, Slaine flipped the side of Yuki’s cardigan over and swiftly drew the deadly weapon withheld under her arm. Making a smooth pass over the safety with his thumb a mechanical ‘click’ sounded out and he raised the gun parallel to his right eye. Grounding his balance with the left side of his body he rested his elbow on a raised knee and held his right arm in place. With restraint focus his line of sight followed the movements of the bike’s wheels. He knew how naïve it was that his goals were to burst the tires, but he didn’t aim to kill; he aimed to hamper their movements. Which made a lot of sense since the wheel was a bigger target, and his rusty skills required time to make a comeback. Not to mention, he was having some troubles keeping his hands still at the moment.

As he squeezed the trigger a deathly bullet burst out of the gun barrel, and he fired two more shots in rapid succession towards the same direction. An unpleasant screech brought the motorcycle to a halt and Slaine took no time at all to move on with his plan. Yuki needed to wake up because unfortunately, he was no longer able to move them both at the same time. Hoping that the powerful release of the gun was enough to bring her back to the borders of awareness, Slaine attempted to awaken her to full lucidness.

“Yuki-san, Wake up. We need to get out of here.” He called out breathlessly, fully anticipating it when Yuki failed to give him a reply; he knew that this was not going to be an easy task.

“Yuki-san, we don’t have much time left, wake up” He tried again, while pulling her into his arms and giving her a small shake.

Still, no response came, but he refused to give up and jokingly murmured to her one more time while fiercely trying to stay awake, “Yuki-san, come on. You’re not going to make me do this myself are you? That’s just cruel… I can’t move anymore. Wake up.” She remained unresponsive.

This was not good, he was floating around at the gates of slumber and Yuki showed no signs of rising anytime soon. She had to wake or else sooner or later they would both be collapsed out in the middle of nowhere—out in plain view, and at that point, they may as well have been already captured. Out of desperation, Slaine spoke a fourth time “, Yuki-san, come on, don’t give up… Kaizuka Inaho is waiting for you to go home, you can’t—” suddenly Yuki winced and it took her a while to wrench her eyes open, looking completely disoriented in his arms. Slaine felt the worry rush out of him and he was rendered speechless for a moment. Words failed him to express his overwhelming relief.

Yuki felt a light, delicate touch on her cheek as she heard an anonymous distant string of words. She couldn’t tell who it was. Inaho never treated her so gently in the morning, and even if he did, it would only be creepy. The heavy blanket over her senses slowly lifted as the crackling of flames became apparent. The voice that grew stronger was still speaking to her and she focused in on its soothing tone, oblivious to the actual words that it spoke. Her head was pounding and she let the noise distract her from the unwelcome sensation. “Inaho,” it told, piquing her intrest, _Naoh-kun? Did something happen to Naoh-kun?_ Without warning,a heady rush of strong memories jolted her out of her rest and she was unpleasantly reminded of exactly _how_ she had fallen asleep.

Yuki slowly opened her eyes and she was met with an aquamarine stare reminding her of just moments ago—before she’d lost her conscience. Her gaze was locked in place for a moment, but eventually she let her vision wander trying to take in their surroundings: Fire, bricks, her van, motorcycle, gas, heat, and pain—a lot of pain. She turned back to the figure hovering over her and a stream of questions flowed out of her lips as she lifted up to sit on her own. “What happened? Where are we? Who are you?” she inquired, holding nothing back.

Slaine was impressed at the speed with which she adapted to their situation. She’d woken up completely out of shape and confused, but now there were absolutely no signs of her earlier bewilderment. Unfortunately, he had no time to ponder her amazing feat because he doubted that a deflated tire was enough to completely halt the assault of their attackers“, I’ll explain in a second, right now we need to get moving,” he instructed, making sure that his tone would convey the emergency.

Slaine took her wrist, “can you stand?” He asked politely, urging her onto her feet. Yuki nodded and complied without delay, as she rose she noted that her shins had been sliced and they stung, but thankfully it wasn’t unbearable.

Yuki turned around, and at the same time her mysterious company’s balance failed him as he too rose behind her. She reached out to steady him grasping his shoulders; the poor guy looked like he’d just walked out of a movie shoot, filmed in hell. “Are you alright? Can you move?” she asked, sincerely concerned.

“I’m fine… thank you” he supplied, and she mildly wondered where she’d heard that same reply before. Under the pressing circumstances, she’d missed green jacket that he was currently sporting.

The two of them observed their surroundings for a brief moment searching for the best route to take if they needed to get out of sight. Eyes landing on the same target they shared a mutual nod before breaking into a run. Well, it was more of a limping tournament as Yuki’s legs were cut, and Slaine generally felt like crap; although he wouldn’t have used that particular word to describe himself.  

Slaine guessed that their enemies didn’t have firearms on them since there hadn’t been a return fire when he had previously shot his rounds. Luckily, the other party also didn’t seem to be moving much at the moment, as he and Yuki darted into the nearby wall of trees. Once he was sure that they posed no immediate threat he looked forward, and blindly tailed Yuki the rest of the way. Following her steps were all that he could manage because toppling onto the ground was an enticing idea at the moment.

As they broke into the forest the uneven terrain made it impossible for Slaine to continue running. He finally leaned against the base of a tree and voiced his opinion “, Yuki-san, this, should be far enough… for now,” he stammered, Voice rough and choppy.

Yuki immediately heard his exhaustion, and she felt a pang of guilt for not having watched out for him even when she’d known he’d been in terrible shape. She quickly stumbled back to support the limping man.

“I’m sorry, I know you’re drained but we’re still too close, we need to keep moving for a little longer. Hang in there for five more minutes.” Her tone was resolute but the remorse she had for not being able to allow him rest shone brightly. She gently started hooking an arm around the small of his back, but Slaine pushed her away.

“No! I’m fine, we’ll be splitting up here,” He ordered, calming his voice as he went on “, Listen, the most that I can supply you with is the details of what just happened. After that, we’ll both be heading our own ways.” He explained.

His choice of words may have managed to fool anyone else, but Yuki immediately caught on to what he truly meant “, So you’re telling me to leave you here and escape by myself? You know that a normal person would never be able to do that. I’m no different, so why?” her head was pulsing and she found it hard to properly piece her words together. She accidentally let her frustration leak into her diction. He seemed to hold so little value in his own life, and quite frankly she didn’t like it, at all.

Slaine pursed his lips together; he didn’t know how to explain himself in a way that she would be able to understand. As she spoke again he clenched his teeth trying to ward away his damned emotions. He hated that he’d always seemed to have stronger feelings than that of the average Joe.

“I appreciate that you’re trying to do what you can to make the situation better, but I don’t want to leave you behind, you have to make it out of this too. Your life is not only yours alone, what about the people who care for you? What about the military who’d fought for your life?” she encouraged, searching for a way to restore his will to survive; anything to beat the sense back into him, really.

The wind passed by them tickling at the tips of her cardigan and picking up the straps on his jacket. Yuki, just then, took notice of the specific jacket that he was wearing and her eyes widened slightly. So he was the one who’d been in that cell. _Thank god he’s alive._

“I know…” He mumbled, almost inaudibly, “That’s, exactly why,” he added. Yuki failed to understand him, why would having people who protected and cared for him enforce his attempt at suicide? What was she missing?

Slaine’s head was covered by his arm as he secretly wiped a tear away. _This is enough_ he told himself, she had given him enough, it was time that he’d stopped being such a coward. She had the right to know _exactly_ who she was trying to protect. “ _Thank you,”_ he whispered.

In the still of the silent night a solitary hand lifted to a collar covering pale flesh. The quick movements of nimble fingers worked at a knot which secured the rim of a hood. The fabric around his hidden visage loosened, and his hand dropped ten centimeters taking hold of the zipper and smoothly unlocking link after link down the latter. As he reached the bottom Slaine unhinged the final lock and shrugged out of the jacket, wincing as it caught painfully on the metal in his back. He lifted his head and started straight into Yuki’s eyes, holding her gaze.

“I’m sure you know the monster that hides behind this face,” He quietly threatened, steadying his voice as best as he could despite the overwhelming emotions. “I would advise you to leave me alone if you don’t want to meet him,” He warned “, Stop getting in my way.”

Yuki had been caught off guard, she knew this face and the mere sight of it was enough to turn her into a savage beast. So many friends she had watched, burst into flames, ripped apart, and maimed for life. So many more had she seen, heart Broken, traumatized, and mourn for the dead. It was all because of a few words that this one person had commanded. All because he’d started a war, yet she found that her feelings betrayed her as she was unable to completely loath his existence. The look in his eyes were messing with her perceptions; they were determined but the determination was dampened only minimally by something that he was desperately trying to hide, and she strongly wanted to know what that was.

Yuki slowly loosened the fist at her side. She raised her hand above his head to the right and swung it down in one swift movement, following the momentum.

If her soft heart made it hard to punch him, this would have to suffice for now.

A hollow ‘clap’ drove straight into slaines cheek, forcing his head to the left and his eyes remained open watering from the impact. _So this is your answer_ , he thought, _you’re being too nice_ He chided in his mind. The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he slowly slumped to the ground, mind clouding without consent. From the corner of his sight he could see that Yuki’s lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear the hate full words that she was sure to be throwing at him.

“Don’t ever tell me what to do,” She voiced as her hand landed on his face. “ I know you’re hiding something and—,” but he was already slouching to the undergrowth.

Out of reflex Yuki reached out and caught him sliding to the ground as he lay in her arms. she stopped at a kneeling position and a wet gush of something coated her hand. The feeling was unsettling as she peeked over his shoulder to confirm its identity. Instantly she bit her lip. Her entire palm was covered in red; it was like she was a child playing with paint, only so much more wrong and gruesome. How long had his life been flowing out of him? The metal that stuck out of his back just barely missed his spine, and she was glad that it was in the top half where his ribs had hopefully served their purpose. Yuki reached into her pocket fishing for her phone when she remembered that it wasn’t with her, it was in her backpack that was probably reduced to ashes by now. She wanted to put a knife to her throat for not keeping it on her at all times. _Note to self, never again forget to put your phone in your pocket._

She was sure that Inaho was heading over; the problem was she didn’t know exactly when and Troyard needed immediate medical care. He’d lost too much blood and she suspected that his blood volumes had been low to begin with, in his weakened state. Yuki only had one option, and she gently placed Slaine on the ground with his back to the sky. She took off her cardigan carefully placing it over him to retain as much body heat as she could.

Standing back on her feet, Yuki sprinted urgently out of the forest and down the road heedless of her sluggishly bleeding shins. She headed for the convenience store which was about two minutes away by car. It wasn’t close, but it was the nearest link she had to reaching Inaho. It took her around six minutes of restless running to reach the gliding doors and she made no effort to stop as she almost slammed into them. She didn’t wait for them to open fully before slipping between the widening gap and striding straight to the cashier.

The cashier was startled, and he opened his mouth to say something but Yuki beat him to it “, Lend me your phone,” She demanded harshly, making sure that no arguments could be made. The Cashier took one glance at her grimed uniform and instantly placed the old style telephone in front of her. he saluted, and Yuki quickly returned the gesture. Yuki dialed the number into the keypad, hastily picking up the receiver and unintentionally pressing a bloody hand print onto the plastic. She tapped her finger as a few short heartbeats passed.

* * *

 

Inaho was about half way to the prison as his phone started ringing in his pocket. Pulling over onto the side of the road he took it out glancing at the unknown number before tapping the answer button.

“Hello?” he answered wearily, half expecting the rough voice of an old man to answer. Sorting through Slaine’s—Totsukage Kiriha’s—files earlier had gave him the notion that someone had tampered with the files already. He estimated about half of the expected number of folders had already disappeared before he’d gotten to deleting them himself, which meant that someone else wanted Slaine’s existence to wiped from the database. He briefly speculated that his informant had done it, but the chances weren’t too high since it’d be too risky for her to carry it out.

The voice that answered was his least expected call “, Naoh- kun? Where are you right now?” Yuki’s tone was demanding and he immediately knew that something was going on.

“I’m half way to the mansion, what’s wrong?” He asked, waiting for her response.

“I’ll explain it when you arrive; it’s faster if you see it for yourself. Anyway get here as fast as you can, and I mean ignore the speeding limit. Also, don’t call for backup yet, I have something I need to check with you before we do that. I’ll meet you in the forest area, Don’t go to the mansion.” Her instructions were laced with urgency, and Inaho was slightly worried about her last words. _Had something happened to the prison?_

“Roger, I’ll be there in around twenty minutes, and Yuki-ne does this mean that I can stress my eye out a little bit.” He deadpanned, seemingly unperturbed.

His Humor was just what she needed at the moment; it helped to relieve some of the tension that floated around her like a black cloud. He had probably done it intentionally, when he’d sensed the stress in her voice.

* * *

 

Yuki dropped the receiver giving a quick word of thanks to the cashier before heading back out of the store. It would seem that every time she was in that store, she left it with haste and all because of one person that she should probably be shredding to the bones. What was wrong with her anyway? Trying so hard to save a mass murderer who’d claimed so many lives, she was going to regret it when the sun came around.

As the trees came back into view Yuki stepped into the foliage searching for the exact spot where she’d left Troyard to kiss the ground. It was harder than she’d expected but thankfully they hadn’t been too far from the edge when she’d left, and the trees weren’t terribly dense. Following her internal instincts, Yuki managed reach the general area and she stopped to try and search for clues of his whereabouts. At that moment, a smear of red caught unnaturally in her gaze and a trail of Slaines blood lit the final stretch back. Yuki felt sick by the time that she’d returned to his side. There was so much blood, what if he’d already lost too much? She had a growing mountain of questions and she didn’t want them unanswered. Why had he saved  and protected her? What was he hiding behind those threats? Which one was the true Slaine Troyard Cruel, or Kind hearted? What had prompted him to lead a war despite the obvious guilt that he was going through now? _Slaine Troyard, who are you?_

Yuki observed his still form for a while, taking note that she’d been mistaken the whole time. He wasn’t a man, but rather a teen who was roughly the same age as Inaho, and the more that she entertained the thought, the more that she found he was too young to have singlehandedly started a war. Someone else had to have supported him. More importantly, he would have been raised in the utmost despicable fashion to have fired a gun clearly aiming for a kill, like he’d done with inaho, at point blank according to professional analysis.  His entire existence was encapsulated in a blanket of thick mist and misconceptions; which were perplexing, to say the least.

Yuki knelt down and dug a few fingers between Slaine and the grass, softly easing herself under his body. She handled him with care, trying not to move him around too much and avoiding the multiple wounds on his body. Carefully turning around so that he hung limply on her back Yuki rested his head on her shoulder hooking her arms under his thighs. She then rose and carried him piggy back style stumbling out of the forest.

Once the road came into sight Yuki settled Slaine back onto the ground sinking down to meet the grass at her feet. She leaned against a tree trunk tilting her head up to the sky and took a moment to catch her breath. The trip had taken her only about five minutes, but she had been running frantically down the road prior to that, her legs burnt ferociously.

Two minutes later, Yuki limped weakly out to the edge of the forest waiting for the bright headlights of Inaho’s car. Not too far ahead of her, Inaho saw her form as he gradually decelerated the vehicle to a stop, more or less, directly in front of her. As he took in her form, a twinge of worry sprouted inside him. Dirt smeared her uniform, and rips tore her leggings, but the bulk of his concern was for the blood that showed on her hands and white dress shirt.

“Yuki –ne” He made a tiny frown, while stepping out of his car. “What happened? You’re covered in blood,” He remarked, with a tinge of concern mixed into his usual monotone.

“I know,” she responded lightly, shaking her head, ”but, it’s not mine,” she stuttered, finding it hard to think of Slaine’s injury when it rekindled her fear that he would never open his eyes again. She silently stepped aside letting Inaho’s gaze wander to the pale blond behind her.

Inaho considered the still body for a moment before he internally grimaced at the sight. Immediately after that he felt his blood run cold. _Slaine Troyard? It can’t be, he had been moved to another facility around week ago._ Why was he still here, and what was going on? Inaho was not used to being in confusion and a sudden wave of understanding hit him as he understood what was going on. the same freaky bastard who had poisoned Asseylum and caused an uproar in Verse, had simultaneously laid the web to Slaine's demise. It was a sickening thought that such a guy was currently running loose and roaming freely, completely undetected by the law.

* * *

 Two figures clad in black pulled off their fully protective helmets. Standing before the burning ruin of what used to be a prison cell a glimmer of navy blue and lilac hair swayed gently in the midnight breeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are waiting for a Inaho and Slaine scene I am terribly sorry that it ended on a cliffy, Sorry! I keep saying that it'll come around but surely, next chapter. This one had way too much content to run through, (bangs head on table in apology).


	5. We Meet Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry about the delayed update again. I hope you enjoy this chapter, which I almost ripped my head out to write (please excuse my language). This was kind of a challenging chapter to organize and put into words. Anyway, I hope that I managed to reveal a few things without them being too confusing. If they are, please feel free to address them in the comments!
> 
> Also I think I've been addressing Inaho as Naoh-kun from Yuki's perspective. I'm now using "Nao-kun" since it seems smoother to read, what do you guys prefer?
> 
> The same goes with "Yuki-ne" being replaced with "Yuki-nee."

“Yuki-nee, what happened? You’re covered in blood.”

Yuki was leaning heavily against the bark of a nearby tree, borrowing its strength in replacement of her own wrung out legs. She had anticipated and prepared an answer for Inaho’s inquiry, yet she found it increasingly challenging to voice her response. Regardless, it had to be said, “I know,” she confirmed, “but it’s not mine,” and to prove her point she tentatively stepped back with the leg that was farthest from the tree; letting the image behind her wordlessly explain what she meant.

Inaho didn’t move as he calmly took in the sight. Large crimson irises wandered, scrutinizing the area until they landed on a figure that lay atop the lush, green grass. There was an unnatural shard of deformed metal horrifyingly sticking out of the pale blond’s back, and Inaho took a moment to push away the bile that rebounded from his stomach. _Is he even alive?_ He questioned, but at his distance there was no way to tell.

As he pried his gaze away from the horrendous mess Inaho’s line of sight traced the blond’s form, slowly shifting up to see the victim’s face. Seconds later, recognition dawned in and a haunted chill ran up his back. _It can’t be! It just cannot be_ , _Slaine Troyard is not supposed to be here!_ He had been moved under the surveillance of several highly trusted guards.

“… Slaine Troyard,” Inaho remarked, letting the reality of the situation sink in, and simultaneously adapting to the new circumstances.

 “Yuki-nee, are you alright? Can you take the wheel?” He asked, half because he didn’t want to strain his eye out, but more importantly because he wanted to distract Yuki from the whirlwind of events that she’d just gone through. He had no Idea how his sister had met Troyard, and in the case that they met on unfavorable terms, he would not allow her the time to come up with a misunderstanding about him.   

“Yeah,” She paused, tapping her toe on the soil to test the movement, “My legs are starting to come back from the intensive running just now.” Yuki was glad that Inaho had instructed her to drive; it would help to pull her attention away from the nauseating worry that she was currently feeling.

Inaho moved closer to the still body and carefully nudged his fingers under the blond. With the help his sister, he managed to place the bleeding boy gently on to his back. Mindful to not agitate the blond’s wound, he treaded slowly to the car keeping an eye out for any roots and uneven terrain which lay ahead of them. It wasn’t really a hard task at all because Slaine Troyard was light— _too light—_ and his weight did nothing to hamper Inaho’s steadiness on the ground _._

Getting the boy into the car, on the other hand, was a more challenging errand as the protrusion on his back made it impossible to have him sit on the seat as he normally would.  Yuki had suggested having the blond alone in the back while lying face first across the seats, but they chose against it since the road ahead was a rough one. Having Slaine unsecured and falling in the car was the last thing that they wanted at the moment.

A while later, both inaho and Slaine were in the back row with the brunette hugging the blond’s upper body to himself as a means to secure the blond in his position. Uncomfortable and awkward as it was, this was the only way that they could guarantee a safe trip to the hospital, or wherever they were heading for that matter.

Yuki sat behind the wheel and once Inaho had given her the “okay”, she drove the car out of the area, ignoring all the speeding limits. Those rules didn’t apply for her—not in these kinds of emergencies.

“Nao-kun, where am I supposed to be going again?” She had noticed, after a long while of flying straight out of the military housings, that they had not decided on where to bring this convict. Under any normal circumstance the hospital would be their target, but with Slaine’s position in mind, that was probably not the best of ideas. Slaine Troyard was dead, and earth wanted it to stay that way.

“Home and the Hospital are out of question so we’re going to have to visit Yagarai-sensei,” Inaho answered. If it was only the back injury he would have called the doctor to them instead, but with Slaine’s deprived body compounding the effects, he feared that it would not be enough to just seal up the gash. Slaine was probably going to need the help of a few fancy instruments, and he hoped that Yagarai-sensei had them installed at his clinic. It was risky, but it was his only choice.

“But, Nao-kun how are we going to get him there, they won't let us in.“

“I know, my informant can handle it for us,” certainly she would see to it. _If it’s for Troyard, she’ll make sure that it’s done._

“You’re going to ask her?” Yuki lifted the corners of her lips, “it’s been a while since I’ve seen her.” She immediately knew what Inaho meant. _That girl can be trusted with this task._

Inaho could feel Slaine’s labored breaths as the blond rested on his shoulder. It was more reassuring than alarming for him since, at least, it meant the boy wasn’t dead. The blond couldn’t die on him, he would not allow for that to happen. With one hand, Inaho reached into his pocket pulling a phone out from its depths. Sweeping a finger across the interface he swiftly dialed a number and pressed it against his cheek. Moments later, the familiar voice of a young female picked up.

* * *

 

“Lemrina-hime,” a soft voiced called out, “Are your feet truly not in pain? If you would allow, please let me enter these ruins alone. You must not strain you’re legs any further.” The tone that was used implied at the worry that was held for the princess.

“I’m alright Harklight, thank you, but let me accompany you in this search. I’ve already come this far; I am no longer able to sit still and wait.” She flooded her gaze with as much resolution as she could muster. If her feet were going to stop her from doing this she would have given up on it from the start; it did not matter if her damned limbs were to crumble to dust, she would find him even if that meant coming face to face with his dead body. This was the only way that she would allow for herself to finally move on.

Standing Before the huge bonfire which was made of metallic parts, Lemrina and Harklight continued in their mad search for the one person that had changed their lives. Unbeknownst to them, that person had been much closer than they had thought, and they had missed him only by a hair’s width of a chance.

* * *

 

“Nao-kun, can I ask you a question?” Yuki inquired, After Inaho had made his calls. The car had become silent, and she found that this was a good time to drag out some answers. There was one thing that had bothered her immensely since she had discovered that Slaine was alive.

“I don’t see why not,” Inaho allowed, as he understood her need to acquire some form of Intel on the situation surrounding Slaine. She was sure to have a lot of questions, so answering them when he had the time seemed like a good idea.

“Why do you care for him, For Troyard?” She didn’t understand it; there was no doubt that Inaho knew who Slaine was, so then why? That boy had kidnapped the princess, he had shot her brother ruthlessly, yet Inaho still went out of his way to visit the blond. She did not understand why he would do that.

“The Empress had entrusted me to ‘free him from the chains of misery’” Inaho responded, without a hint of emotion in his voice. It was the same answer that he had given Slaine, because this one was a true fact; not something based off of emotion which could have easily been a lie.

Yuki felt a little sprinkle of bitterness within her. The Empress had asked her brother to save the person who had cost him his eye because she’d known that Inaho would never refuse her? Yuki had thought that the girl was not the type of person to voluntarily inconvenience others; unless … she hadn’t thought of it that way, which was sadly, a very valid point when it came to Asseylum. The Empress was far too naïve for the position that she held.

Yuki left that thought for later consideration because she felt that Inaho’s answer was not complete. Even if she had asked him to free Slaine, there was no need for Inaho to visit the blond at his cell. She knew her brother held some form of consideration for the boy, and she wanted to understand why. To her, the pale blond was still a puzzle. “I’m asking why you care for him, not why you did what you did. Nao-kun he’s stolen a lot of lives, even yours he almost …” she let the sentence hang.

Inaho finally figured out the reason behind his sister’s inquiry. She wanted to know why he’d turned a blind eye to Slaine’s crimes despite the amount of sorrow that it had cost them. She was trying to search out the truth behind the blond as much as he himself was. “If that’s what you’re asking for Yuki-nee, I’m looking after him for same reason that you are trying to save him right now, he’s not who he seems to be, and I wan’t to know who it is that Asseylum truly wants to save.”

Yuki could sympathize with this answer. In the short amount of time that she had come to know him, Slaine Troyard was an incredibly complicated person, but he didn’t seem to be half as venomous as he was reputed to be. She had an inkling that the blond had also been burned in hell, as a result of the war.

Inaho felt a sluggish movement on top of him and he shifted his body allowing the blond to find a better position.

Drifting back to conscience, Slaine could hear the conversation that was happening, but the speed at which his brain was processing it rendered the speech undecipherable. The sharp pain and numbness that he felt in a number of places was disturbing and he tried to lift himself off of the body that was underneath of him. He hadn’t any Idea who the male, as his chest was flat, was, but the proximity freaked the hell out of him. The moment that he tried to moved, Slaine felt a strong arm around him tighten, and the man in question shifted as he addressed him “Troyard? How are you feeling?”

 _This voice,_ ”Kaizuka Inaho,” he figured, “why are you here? And why am I being hugged like a teddy bear? Let go of me.” He poured as much venom into his words as possible, letting none of his confusion show through.

“As much as I’d like to, you’re going to have to bear with it. The thing that is in your back, which I’m sure you can feel, does not allow for you to be seated normally.” Inaho was amazed that the blond wasn’t seething in pain. Any normal adult would be; even the soldiers who’d fought in war had to scream in agony when they’d been injured to this extent. It was a wonder how Slaine managed to speak evenly.

“Then pull it out,” Slaine retorted, “You guys wanted me dead anyway, why not inflict a little more pain in the process.”  Again he tried to push up with his arms, but the strain that it put on his back muscles sent him flopping back onto the younger male with a grimace. He knew exactly why he had been left in the prison, and Inaho had been part of that group. They were intent on reaping his life of course.

Inaho’s eyes slimmed by just a fraction as he took in the words. Slaine thought they wanted him dead? Where had he gotten that idea?

At the same time, Yuki’s fist tightened around the steering wheel. Was that why Slaine had not been evacuated? Had he been left there to starve? _He’s just a kid, if they wanted him dead they could have done it in a more humane fashion._ Just the thought was repulsive and her lips moved before she’d managed to stop them. She had to let him know that at the least she did not want him dead; clearly Inaho didn’t either. ”I don’t know what the higher ups are thinking, but I am not attempting to drive a corps to the clinic, not after I tried so hard to save you,” the last part was a partial lie, she’d twisted her diction so that It would be easier for Slaine to stomach.

Inaho also voiced his displeasure, “Troyard, I don’t want you dead, I would have done it a year ago if that was true.” Inaho had the notion that something or someone had sparked the belief, but this was not the time for interrogations. Slaine was not in any shape for extensive questioning, and Inaho wanted him to rest as much as possible before they arrived at the clinic. “However, we’ll talk about it later, try and go back to sleep for a while, we’re heading to the doctors right now.”

Slumber proved to be an enticing idea, but Slaine still felt uneasy with the brunette laying beneath him. It was a childish and uncharacteristic worry for what he’d lived through, but it unnerved him that Inaho could accidentally feel the ridges of his scars under his thin prison uniform. He also wanted to confirm something before he could relax.

Slaine turned his head to the side, “Yuki-san, why did you not leave me in the forest? You do know that this” he brought a hand up to brush his fingers ever so lightly over the brunette’s eyepatch, “was the result of my doings right?” As he lowered his hand again Yuki could see, in the mirror, the blood that he’d deliberately smeared across Inaho’s face, imitating the shot wound from two years ago.  

She could only guess what Slaine’s expression looked like because his hair covered the majority of his features, but truthfully that was for the best. “It doesn’t change the fact that you saved me just a while ago, and I have a few questions that I’d like for you to answer. When I get the answers, in the case that you possess as much darkness as you are implying, I will deal your punishment when the time is fit.”

Her reply made sense, and Slaine found no reason to go any further. He was starting to feel extremely tired, and instead he decided to move his legs so they weren’t so numb. Instantaneously his wounds reminded him of what a terrible idea that was, and a white hot flash of pain momentarily consumed his senses as the cuts that had just managed to congeal on his knees were ripped back open; they burnt like hell.

Inaho felt the body above him tense and he was instantly on high alertness. “What wrong?” he asked as he swept a lock of hair off of Slaine’s face to see his expression. He was pale—very pale—and his eyes were dazed. The blond was also breathing heavily and covered in perspiration which was never a good sign. _Shoot, he’s going into shock,_ Inaho recognized _._

“Kaizuka? I can’t feel my feet, are they okay? am I going to have to amputate them? I don’t want to do that.” Slaine mumbled, he was losing control of his senses and the lack of input from his legs was not helping. He had no idea what was going on anymore, and it scared him more than he wanted to admit. “Kaizuka?”

“Shhhh, It’s ok, you’re going into shock from the blood loss. Calm down, your feet will be alright, Yagarai-sensei will take care of it. Try and go to sleep for now.” Inaho reassured him, and it was regretful that that was about all that he could do right now. “Yuki-nee, how much longer until we arrive?” He hoped that they didn’t have much more to go.

“Give me ten minutes, and hold on tight,” She added. Yuki thrust her foot onto the gas pedal going as fast as she could as she evaded all the cars that were meandering on the road. It was a good thing that It was late at night or else her outrageous speed would have gotten them all killed in an accident by now.

* * *

 

As they pulled into the port Yuki was greeted with the familiar shade of orange hair that blew in the wind. She let out a sigh of relief. _Thank god she’d managed to get us permission to enter._ She grinned as she also saw the enormous battle ship that, for a short while, had been their home. The Deucalion stood with a stunning amount of confidence, just like she’d remembered it.

“I’ve been awaiting your arrival, Inaho-san, Yuki-san, and … Slaine-sama.” The girl’s speech slowed for a moment, clearly disheartened by the blond’s state. “Yagarai-sensei is waiting inside the ship, please follow my lead.” She finished in a professional manner, which brought back a multitude of memories from the past.

“Thank you, Eddelrittuo-san for having put up with the short notice.” Inaho was extremely grateful that Eddelrittuo—his informant—had managed to acquire approval from the higher ups for them to board the Deucalion. As an ambassador from verse she was the only one who could have gotten Slaine—an anonymous individual—into the ship without them finding out his true identity.

“It’s the least I can do, so don’t worry about it. I told them that Slaine-sama is a Versian count who is momentarily covering his identity for his own safety. The Deucalion is not in use at the moment so I asked them if I could get clearance for him to stay here for a while, anonymously of course. They allowed it only after a short call to Asseylum-sama for confirmation.” Inaho could tell that the task had not been half as easy as the girl recollected it to be. The fact that they had called the Empress, who was ill at the moment, made it clear to him how reluctant the top brass must have been. Not to mention, the Empress had to have been informed of Slaine’s situation before hand so she could confirm their little lie. Nonetheless, Eddelrittuo was a capable young lady.

Inaho was now carrying—or hugging—Slaine bridal style as they walked the short distance to the medical room. He tried to have the blond’s body mostly propped against his own as a means to counter the gravity which would draw blood from his wound.

As they neared the clinic, which was situated inside the ship, a black haired man in his thirties waited outside the door. He adorned a mid-length lab coat on top of his casual dress wear, and sported square framed glasses.

“Inaho-kun! What in the world happened?” It took him no time at all to assess the severity of the Slaine’s wound as it came into view, “Actually, explain to me later, we need to fix him up first, he doesn't look too good.” The doctor’s expression stiffened, this was a lot worse than he had anticipated. It wasn’t the back wound that was disturbing him; it was the overall weakened state that the boy seemed to be in that gave him the chills. _Where in the world had this guy been living to be reduced to such a state_?   

Dr. Yagarai showed them into the clinic, and had Inaho place the blond on a clean bed. This was going to be a long, long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no Idea if Eddelrittuo, as an ambassador, would have been able to get Slaine into the Deucalion like that. My Guess is that It would not work out in real life, but this is a story so I have a little leeway. Hope it doesn't bother you. 
> 
> for those of you who thought of Lemrina and Harklight at the end of last chapter, congratulations you are correct. The two of them will most likely play a part in this story. 
> 
> Finally, Thank you guys again for having waited for the late update! I'll see you next time. :D


	6. Just What? (Are You?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! it's been a long time, but instead of apologizing again I would like to take this chance to thank you all instead. As I am officially in summer vacation now, I can promise that this will be the last chapter that's update will be delayed to this extent. Thank you for all your patience and willingness to stick with this series. (It's redundant but I Just can't thank you guys enough! XD)

Yagarai hovered over the young man whom Inaho gently lowered onto the bed, testing for a pulse. With a remarkable amount of calmness, he considered the blond with an analytical eye mentally preparing a list of medical procedures that had to be done. His extensive amount of experience quickly supplied him with the best route of actions to take in order to increase the blonde’s chances of living.

At this point survival was largely dependent on the patient’s own resilience; Yagarai’s only goal was to lessen the burden on his body, to give it a chance at recovery. Severe dehydration and malnutrition were two devils that the boy was going to have to fight off on his own. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t an easy remedy for them.

Leaning against the metal frame of the door, Yuki stood with Eddelittiou’s arm around her waist. She could feel the unintentional tight clasp that the girl had on her uniform fabric, and noted the way that the young ambassador seemed be unable to rip her gaze of off of Slaine’s tattered from. It must be hard for her to meet a long lost friend in such a state. Yuki gently squeezed the petite stature at her side, trying to pull her out of her trance. “He’ll be alright,” she tried to assure, despite her own mind which screamed the reverse.

Yuki pushed off of the door, swerving around, and lightly tugged the girl along with her, “We should probably get this blood cleaned off of us first.” She remarked, telling herself that loitering around was not about to help save Slaine.

Eddelittuo snapped out of her dazed state and tersely looked up at Yuki before dropping her gaze to her own dress. She hadn’t noticed the blood that had smeared onto her clothes, and immediately grew concern for the elder woman’s injuries. _Had Yuki been bleeding to this extent?_ She wasn’t exactly sure. “Yuki-san, Are you alright?” she inquired, while tightening her hold on the older woman.

 “I’m doing fine,” Yuki replied with a weak smile; “I’ve just got a few cuts on my knee that’s all, nothing big.” She caught Eddelittuo frowning at her appearance, and immediately the expression on her face faded, “The majority of this blood is … his,” She explained. It was a vague and brisk comment, as if speeding through the details would somehow stop them both from reading to deeply into what that meant. However when Eddelittuo tensed, Yuki knew that her attempt had failed. The girl was too clever to have missed it; Slaine had lost enough blood to have Yuki looking like a Halloween attraction, and clearly that didn’t sit well with either of them.

 All the more, it was a reason that they needed to get washed up, because how better to calm oneself down after seeing someone standing at deaths door, than to have that same person’s blood smeared all over your body right? The thick scent of iron looming around them wasn’t about to dampen the effects either.

Making a quick recovery from her moment of dread, Eddelittuo consciously relaxed her muscles. Subsequently, she slipped into her professional persona in an attempt to numb the worry. Right now, she was going to try and do what she could to help Slaine, and worrying about him was not one of those things. “Yuki-san, do you mind if I dress your cuts up after we clean ourselves?”

Yuki looked at the girl in surprise; she had been thinking the same thing. In addition to distancing Eddelittuo from her source of concern, Yuki had originally intended to leave because she wanted to clean her wounds on her own; that way, Dr. Yagarai would have less of a work load. The corners of her lips lifted as she gave the young girl a nod of consent.

Before they left, Eddelittuo dutifully gave Inaho and the Doctor a brief explanation as to where they would be and what they were up to. She then reached into her pocket and handed a set of keys to Yagarai. They gave him access to the more expensive and dangerous equipment onboard, including their stash of medical grade narcotics. Yagarai returned to her a few packs of dressings, antibiotics, and multiple other things that they would need to treat Yuki’s wounds.

As he watched the girls retire from the clinic the doctor heaved a sigh, he was actually incredibly grateful that Yuki’s injuries could be treated on her own. If she could do that, it meant she was fine for the moment, and he could focus solely on the boy in front of him. Even with the advantage of years of experience in this line of work; he still found it daunting to have to be in charge of anyone in such a terrible state.

He was a doctor—he was supposed to save lives—yet sometimes there just wasn’t a choice but to watch them as withered away. Hopefully, his unwavering focus would be enough to keep that from happening today.

Inaho made to follow after the girls as they left the room; probably to give the doctor some space, but Yagarai called him back, “Inaho kun, are you injured in any way?” he asked. The brunette displayed no signs of physical pain or exhaustion, but then again he hardly ever showed much at all. The question was prompted out of habit as Yagarai was used to keeping tabs on the younger sibling’s health issues.

“I’m not in any need of medical care, if that’s what you’re asking. My right eye is doing fine as well.” His eye was actuallykind of strained out, but it would recover after a night’s sleep. Slaine on the other hand, was starting to look more like a wax figurine then a real flesh human, and quite frankly Inaho had had enough of seeing him like that. He wanted the metal shard removed, and he wanted it out _now_.   

Yagarai gave a quizzical stare at his answer, “Is that so? I’m still going to check up on your eye later, but right now I’m going to need your help.” Quickly, the doctor whizzed into action as he tugged on the sliding drawers which ran parallel to the floor. Inside, a lead vest occupied a good three quarters of the space while the rest of the drawer remained empty. Inaho watched Yagarai drape the vest over his arm, and he understood what he Doctor was about to do. Inaho paced over to Slaine’s side and pulled out a chain of industrial type machinery above the blond’s bed.

The two worked with a limited exchange of words since they understood the need to focus on their task. Although they had never actually functioned as a pair, it didn’t take long for them to fall into a pace of initiation, and follow up. Yagarai started something, and Inaho would take the lead and silently back him up.

Placing the vest over the injured boy Yagarai, for the first time, glimpsed at his face and almost jumped. _This is! Isn’t this?_ The night had just become a whole lot more interesting; Inaho was going to have to do some explaining. Although, at the moment he swatted the thought away for later consideration as he straightened up to reach the overhead x-ray adjusting its angle over the bed. As Yagarai peered down to check that Slaine’s position was correct, a glimmer of metal registered in his sight and he bent down to remove the necklace strung around the Blond’s neck.

“Inaho-kun, we need to stay outside for a bit. I’m going to take the x-ray,” He instructed. Inaho was kneeling beside Slaine, gently dabbing blood off of the blond’s hand, and He nodded and placed the damp cloth on the table before making his way out of the clinic.

Metal clacks were heard for no more than a few seconds as they rounded to the room directly next to the clinic, where Yagarai conducted the radiograph away from the actual radiation. He took this short intermission to pose his question, “Inaho-kun, that boy is Slaine Troyard, am I correct?”

Inaho remained passive, “You are correct,” He confirmed, as if the inquiry expected no further explanations on his part.

Yagarai sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, “Inaho-kun, I had an inkling that you were up to something crazy when I got your call, but this is beyond my imagination. I know you have your reasons, and I’m going to trust that you and Kaizuka-san are not making the wrong choice right now. However, do not forget, two hundred and eighty seven caskets lined our military base weeks after the war. He may not be completely guilty, but he’s definitely not innocent. That boy has far too many grudges pined on his back.”

Inaho’s face looked even more impassive than usual as he listened to Yagarai reason. The doctor was a kind man and his words were meant more as a warning to inaho than an offense towards Slaine, but somewhere in his voice remained an unmistakable tone of vehemence. Inaho couldn’t blame him though; Yagarai had witnessed countless soldiers cry in pain writhing in agony before some of them had stopped moving completely, they just stilled in the beds and that was the end.  

Actually, Inaho agreed with the Doctor’s opinion, he wasn’t foolish enough to think that Slaine was an innocent little sheep. In fact he knew first hand how dangerous Slaine Troyard could be. However, he also knew that the boy was not harmful by nature, and that his sentence was a convenient temporary closure for the war—not a justified charge of his crimes which marked the start of a long lasting peace. “Thank you, and I will never forget the brave soldiers that fought among us in the war, whether they are alive or lying beneath the soil.” Inaho made a quick salute as a tribute to his sincerity.

Yagarai’s soft smile lifted the darkening aura of the room, “As long as you understand then its fine, and try not to get yourself in deep trouble will you? I don’t want to end up working emergency all the time.” The tone in his voice carried a comical whiff, but Inaho knew that he had meant what he’d said; Yagarai was worried for them, and in a riddle he’d just basically expressed that he’d always be around to help them when they needed it. 

Yagarai passed his fingers over a few buttons drawing the recent x-ray onto the screen. He leaned forward as he assessed the image, “Thank god, we can remove the foreign metal from his back as is, and he’s incredibly lucky that it missed his spine by a few centimeters. Full recovery should be possible from this.”

Inaho peered over the Doctor’s back confirming his analysis when his eyes landed on a miniscule disposition of a rib bone, close to where it connected to the spine. “On the right side of the fourth rib, is that a malunion of the bone?” he noted. He didn’t want to distract the doctor but it was close to Slaine’s wound and he wanted to be sure it wasn’t an additional fracture or something.

Yagarai frowned, “I noticed that earlier. It’s already healed, and luckily the malunion is so small it’s insignificant. However, posterior rib fractures are commonly a result of child abuse; they don’t break too often otherwise.” He was starting to understand that this seemingly prestigious youngster, who had risen to the top of the verse hierarchy, likely had nothing at all to do with growing up in privileged nobility.

Inaho’s exterior foretold nothing as he simply headed out the door after Yagarai had finished. He returned to his post beside Slaine, gaze darkening as he simply stood there staring at the blond’s still body. During his year at prison, Slaine had revealed naught about himself or his life in verse. Inaho had never really asked, but sometimes he swore he’d seen the boy flinch when the nurse got frustrated. He had thought it was an inherent quality for Slaine to be excessively protective of himself, but perhaps his fear rooted far deeper than Inaho had ever expected.

As Yagarai joined him in the clinic, the brunette turned around to reach for a pair of scissors in the cabinet. Handing them to the Doctor he stepped to the side allowing Yagarai to take his position. Swiftly the scissors where placed at the base of Slaine’s prison uniform, and as that was lifted up, the veteran doctor had to pause in horror.

Multiple lashes on Troyard’s back laced his pale skin forming a macabre plain of hills that marred every inch of his dorsal side. Yagarai felt _sick_ , he’d seen far worse, yet something about these gashes picked at his skin. They weren’t a result of the war, there were too many, too clean and precise, these, he could tell, had been deliberate.

Behind him, Inaho was caught off guard. The sight reminded him of a long forgotten file that he’d been too exhausted to actually consider in the past.

At the beginning of Slaine’s imprisonment multiple checkups had been run on his body. Inaho vaguely remembered reading one of the documents, and a bolded statement highlighted the fact that Slaine adorned multiple back wounds which had long healed. At the time, he hadn’t paid it much mind since it was sound to have injuries after a war. Now though, he realized what a mistake that had been, to think that he spent months searching for clues about the boy when they’d been in his hands from the start. Inaho was mildly disappointed with himself.

* * *

Yuki hissed between her teeth as she dabbed the disinfectant over her shins. Her wounds were fairly shallow and that was precisely why they burnt much. Her body thought it was a small enough injury to ignore while her sensory neurons decided to constantly bombard her brain with pain signals. This was a never ending night she thought, and she still had to sit down with Inaho and figure out what exactly was going on.

The bathroom adopted a somewhat serene quality. As neither of them had the mentality to speak, Eddelittuo and Yuki shared a kind of numb and dejected state. Although they could still think clearly, that was exactly where the problem lay, because … they didn’t want to think clearly—they didn’t want to brood over the very much real possibility that Slaine could be lost tonight. Was their trust for Yagarai really that Shallow? No, but had Slaine really seemed that close to death? Yes.

 Eddelittuo efficiently helped wrap the dressing over Yuki’s shin and knee. Then out of nowhere she started speaking, “Thank you,” she murmured quietly, “for not abandoning Slaine sama.” The young girl was decidedly focused on her task, and she never once lifted her head as she spoke.

Yuki placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder, “There’s no reason to thank me,” She revoked, “I did it because I wanted to. He’s kind of a mystery, and as childish as this sounds I want to crack the code.”

At that moment, Eddelittuo brought her head up. She made an unbelieving expression and then gave Yuki a melancholic smile. “Slaine-sama is surprisingly hard to figure out you know, I’ve spent a year at his side but he’s never once told me anything about himself.” Truthfully saying it out loud like this hurt more than she had liked it to; it made it painfully obvious how Slaine had never trusted her enough. He’d stopped trusting people after she and Asseylum visited earth. “He did used to tell Asseylum-sama about his childhood, when she’d asked. But when I returned to verse he had already started distancing himself from people. He seemed as if he didn’t want to grow close to anyone.”

Yuki listened intently, well this was definitely intriguing, he didn’t seem all that cold to her when she’d met him in the cell. In fact, he even initiated their first encounter when she’d dropped her tablet. That had definitely been an act of kindness, but if he truly wanted to be alone than wouldn’t ignoring her have been the better choice? Nevertheless, determining someone’s personality over such a small thing was ridiculous; it was just that something about him gave her the impression that he wasn’t actually in favor of being alone.

Yuki jumped into thought for a moment, and was quickly reminded of his gaze. When he’d told her who he was in the forest, there was an unmistakable glint of pain locked deep inside those teal-aquamarine eyes. She was sure of it now, at the time she had thought he was trying to hide something, but more accurately she should have realized that he was suppressing his emotions. The look of solitude within him had not been missed, and she came to understand that more than anything, Slaine Troyard was just hopelessly alone.

* * *

 

Yagarai lightly placed a hand on one of Slaine’s scars, “These are fully healed as well,” he breathed.

“Sensei, we should check the scars latter,” Inaho’s voice was the same as usual, but somehow Yagarai could tell that he was also disturbed by the sight, “we need to stabilize his condition first.”

It was not a surprise to Inaho that Slaine had not had the best of childhoods. He just hadn’t thought that it was this devastating. Those were clearly not the work of light beatings, they were freaking huge for god’s sake.

“Ah sorry, let’s get this removed first shall we?” Yagarai acknowledged. He had been uncharacteristically fazed just now, and he appreciated that Inaho helped remove him from that state. _Getting worked up isn’t going to change anything,_ Yagara chided internally _._ He went ahead and gathered all the equipment that he would be needing to remove the metal shard.

Inaho continued to assist Yagarai as he carefully dislodged the metal, drained, disinfected, and then sutured the wound. In roughly an hour, they finally managed to have Slaine look a little less close to death, and by that time it was already close to two in the morning. However they could not afford to stop quite just yet. Slaine was still sitting on the edge of the fence and someone had to keep an eye on him at all times.

While Yagarai had hooked him up to an I.V drip at the moment, they knew they had to find Slaine a blood donor soon. Fluid alone would not make up for the loss of blood cells; it would, however, allow for his blood volumes to stay at a relatively stable amount. His immune system was also severely compromised in this state, so they had to be extra careful to keep him in a sterile environment.

After Yagarai confirmed that Slaine was not bleeding internally or in any danger of Hypovolemic shock, (a condition in which the body loses a critical amount of blood making it impossible for the heart to pump sufficient blood around the body. Organ failure will result from this, if immediate medical care is not provided.) He and Inaho wiped Slaine down with clean, wet towels lightly scrubbing off most of the caked blood and grime. Personal hygiene was key to keeping Slaine away from additional illnesses.

When Yuki and Eddelittuo joined them after the girls had finished cleaning up, Yuki mentioned that she had given Slaine a yakisoba pan yesterday when she hadn’t known that he was in starvation. That meant that he was at risk of developing re feeding syndrome (A condition in which your body’s metabolic processes are disturbed because of a sudden reintroduction to nutrition following starvation.) They immediately hooked Slaine up to an EKG (,Electrocardiograph Machine—the heart monitor in other words,) because there was a possibility that Slaine would get an arrhythmia (-- an irregular heart rhythm), which could claim his life. The constant regarding of the EKG served as another reason that someone had to always keep watch on Slaine. They had to make sure that he was not going into cardiac arrest.  

The tension in the room peaked as the group found that they had exhausted the list of things that they could immediately do in order to keep Slaine alive. With the lack of something to distract their thoughts, all that was left now was the search for a blood donor, and the waiting game. It was about time to move on to the next stage; they had to figure out the current situation surrounding them, and what they were going to do next.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, my apologies for having bombarded the last portion of this chapter with excessive amounts of scientific knowledge. 
> 
> A big thanks to LevyYonetsu for suggesting and discussing Slaine's medical care with me. (Specifically the idea about using x-rays and the re feeding syndrome.) 
> 
> Next chapter, there will likely be some form if information on blood typing. However, of course the main focus remains on getting a clear understanding of what is happening around them. 
> 
> Also I've already addressed this in a comment of the last chapter, but I feel like I should announce it officially. THIS STORY WILL NOT EVER BE ABANDONED! No matter what, I have gathered the resolve to finish this story when I started it, so rest assured :)


	7. Miracles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! It's been a long time, no joke, but THIS...STORY...WILL NEVER BE ABANDONED! Ran into some writers block but I'm still trying hard so I hope you enjoy the chapter. 
> 
> Also, I have a surprise for all of you (continuing readers, new readers, and my beta: Levy) waiting at the end of the chapter so don't miss it! 
> 
> (**The following bracketed section is very much text book like for the explanation of how blood typing affects blood transfusions. If you wish to steer away from such complicated material, or if you understand the concept of blood typing, feel free to skip this part. Otherwise, enjoy my feeble attempt at a scientific explanation of the dilemma our cast is currently facing! **
> 
> When a blood transfusion is carried out, donor and recipient blood types must comply. The reason being because blood cells have many different markers or antigens, and when foreign blood antigens are detected by the recipient’s immune system or antibodies, you may think of them as white blood cells for now, the recipient’s antibodies will attack the foreign blood, forming blood clots—a process called aggregation. The problem lies in the fact that the blood clots form inside the patient’s blood vessels because the donor blood is being transfused directly into his or her vein. This effectively chops off blood flow in the patient and later leads to death.
> 
> However, when blood types comply aggregation does not happen and a transfusion should be successful. This is due to the fact that the markers/antigens on donor blood cells are the same type of markers that are on the recipient’s blood cells. Since they have the same markers the patient’s Immune system does not make antibodies that attack that kind of marker, because well … then it would also be constantly attacking itself which is not a very good idea. Without detection of the donor blood, no aggregation occurs and no death follows!
> 
> **I hope you got that, it’s not the easiest of materials to understand so don’t worry if you are still kind of confused; just know that the wrong type of blood is lethal because of aggregation. Also, keeping with the tradition of science, this is really just the skin cells of blood typing and if you would like to find out more Youtube is helpful. Lastly, now that you understand why a blood donor must be a correct match, I would like to give a friendly reminder to everyone that it is a good thing to know your blood type at all times just in case an emergency happens. That way first aid can more easily find a matching blood type, otherwise ‘O’ negative blood is their only choice since it is the universal donor with no antigens. Consequently, Sometimes supplies can be on shortage. ** Disclaimer, I am not a doctor, nor do I work in the medical field, so if in doubt please double check with your local doctor.**` THANK YOU!)

Yagarai perched on the edge of the counter with one hand grasping the smooth metal surface while his free hand went up to remove his glasses and rub his eyes. Inaho adjacent to the doctor was beside Slaine leaning against the wall in thought. Arms crossed at his chest, he kept a close watch on Slaine’s heart rhythm; listening for inconsistencies which hinted at the start of an arrhythmia. 

“Eddelrittuo-san, do you know what Troyard’s blood type is?” Inaho finally inquired. He hadn’t actually wanted to bother the former maid over such a thing; having to ask her meant that they had no other way of confirming Slaine’s blood type, which also meant that they could accidentally kill the blond if the information she had on him was incorrect.

Eddelittuo was trustworthy—Inaho knew that—but her reliability wasn’t the only factor that they had to look out for. One did not easily land hands on Slaine Troyard’s personal information, almost every bit of it had been tampered with to ensure that no hackers would be able to grab a lead on his very much alive status. Inaho was just starting to realize that they, meaning by the UFE, had probably done too well of a job hiding just about everything in relation to the blond. The group had no way of digging up any reliable resources to scavenge for his blood type anymore.

Eddelittuo sat at the end of Slaine’s bed with her legs dangling off of the high stool. Years of verse etiquette made it so her posture had no slack. The bags under her eyes betrayed her will to tank through the exhaustion of tonight and her voice was more distressed then she would have liked for it to be. “I’m not sure, but his criminal files should cover—” her words blended into the silence as her lips were left slightly ajar and her gaze shot up to Inaho.

Inaho looked back at her with his usual stoic expression, “Unfortunately what you are thinking is correct, I got rid of them this afternoon. Although, I do remember passing through a file with type ‘A’ written in bold, I don’t want to risk it until we have absolutely no other choice.” Unravelling his arms Inaho straightened up off the wall. “Yagarai-sensei, since you have type O blood you’re the only one who can donate to him with a hundred percent safety, but you’re also the only doctor we have on board and it would be better if you are always alert. Do you suppose there is another way we can supply blood to Troyard?”

Trying to gather as much information as he could, Inaho attempted to widen his domain. He had a multitude of plans forming in his mind, yet he felt that with sufficient knowledge he could unlock another possibility—a better possibility.

Yagarai had just repositioned his glasses on the bridge of his nose and he ran his fingers through his hair while looking for another approach to this dilemma.  _We don’t know Troyard’s blood type, so that disqualifies Inaho, Yuki, and Eddelittuo who are type AB, B, and A respectively as blood donors. I have O negative blood which is the universal donor, but at the same time I can’t give him much if I need to be functioning at top gear. There must be something else, something I’m forgetting._ It felt like a memory in his head was trying frantically to get his attention, but Yagarai just couldn’t place his finger on it. He knew it was there, yet he couldn’t see behind the wall where it hid in his mind.

_‘Sensei, did you know? Aldnoah has more functions than just activating blood thirsty kataphrakts and hiding devils behind the skin of a sweet little girl. If used correctly it can save people as well; it’s not only a power meant to destroy but it also protects its wielders. Vers has never really understood the full power of their strongest weapon, but one lone terrain did—Doctor Troyard did. He shared that information with me before he was murdered, and I’m going to share it with you because I may never return from this trip.’_

A washed out conversation brushed by, and Yagarai turned to Inaho making sure to grasp his full attention, “Inaho-kun, you have the Aldnoah activation factor, correct?” Inaho’s head inclined with a positive reply before giving him a blank stare as Yagarai walked over to Slaine with an empty syringe in his hand, “ and this boy too?” This time he turned to Eddelittuo implying that she was to answer his second question.

“Slaine-sama has been given the activation factor by Lemrina-hime,” It was no big secret to her that Yagarai knew who Lemrina was. He had been the second princess’s doctor for the past year, and it was Eddelittuo herself who had brought the girl to him in the first place, under the empress’s command. The princess was to have her legs treated by the doctor until they had recovered, but Eddelittuo knew that that wasn’t the only reason Asseylum had sent her to earth.  

If it was doctors, Verse had some pretty commendable ones as well. The truth was, Lemrina had to stay out of view because much like Slaine she wasn’t supposed to be alive—rather, she didn’t exist. Consequently, if some power addicts happen to discover her true identity, they could easily kidnap her and exploit her to their own ends without having the rest of the empire bearing their fangs at them.

Unlike the Empress, no one knew about the second princess; her disappearance would garner the same amount of attention as an ant would, if it had died on the corner of a sidewalk, maybe one amused fellow who happened to pass by. That made it easy for her to be used by someone who knew her true value. To that person she was a second Asseylum, minus the heavy protection and need for respect.

Of course this was only one possibility of what could happen if Lemrina was exposed, however even this one scenario posed too great a threat to keep her in Verse. There was no room in the verse hierarchy for a second monarch to rise, meaning that  _that_ person who happened to find out about Lemrina could not happen. Lemrina had to stay under cover for the rest of her life, or at least a long while to come. She had to be on earth where she was out of reach.  

Tuning back into the real world and out of her thoughts Eddelittuo saw Yagarai gently wipe Slaine’s forearm with an alcohol pad. At the same time, she heard Yuki’s worried voice beside her “Sensei! He’s already severely lacking blood, are you sure that that’s a good idea?”

Even if it was kind of rude to ask such a thing to a doctor, Yuki was confident that Yagarai would not misunderstand her inquiry for an underestimation of his skills. She knew that the doctor was no airhead, but she also knew that he was not a man of the night. Normally, Yagarai slept early and woke early meaning that he could be out of his sorts at this ungodly hour. She asked her question to double check that the doctor was not attempting something that he would later regret. They were trying to find Slaine a blood donor, not drain him of the remaining fluids he had left.

The Doctor removed the alcohol pad from Slaine’s arm as he started to speak, “It’s alright, I have an idea,” he reassured. He then positioned the needle onto Slaine’s forearm carefully pricking the boy’s skin and drawing just a drop of precious blood before pulling away and immediately stanching the wound with a cotton pad. After safely disposing of the needle he slipped the reservoir onto a rack and settled down on one of the chairs simultaneously tapping the seat beside him. Inaho read the silent request and took the chair next to the doctor’s turning it as he lowered himself to face the man, “Inaho kun, I’m not sure if we’re going to want to try this, but one of my patients from verse once mentioned that aldnoah has a secondary function. Her name is Lemrina Verse Envers; Verse Empire’s hidden princess.”

Yagarai reached for an empty reservoir and needle lying on the counter behind them. Holding the retrieved objects in his hand he continued to explain, “According to her, this property of aldnoah remains largely unknown to verse. Dr Troyard—that boy’s father,” his gaze shifted to Slaine and back, “discovered it ‘before he was murdered’. I have yet to have had the chance to test it for obvious reasons, but apparently the aldnoah factor has a built in recognition system. The easiest way for this to activate is to have the blood of two individuals with the activation factor come into contact. When that happens it should crystalize, coincidentally signifying that the aldnoah factor of both wielders have mutually identified. What’s important is that further transfusion of blood from one wielder to the other has been proved to boost the body’s health and immune response.”

Honestly, Inaho found this new information hard to stomach. What Yagarai was explaining sounded rather similar to some creepy occult ritual as supposed to a properly functional and scientifically supported medical procedure. The only reason he wasn’t already rejecting this almost hilariously fictional idea, was that Yagarai sensei was the one posing it— _that Dr. Yagarai_. Any other person and he would have had his doubts, but with Yagarai suggesting the procedure in all sincerity Inaho knew there had to be a considerable amount of merit to the bet. The doctor was not a joking kind of person, especially not in these kinds of dire circumstances, and he would never bring up such an idea unless its employment was worth being contemplated.

“In other words, if this theory is indeed correct it would not only allow for Troyard and me to bypass our mismatched blood type problem, but also enhance his overall health as a byproduct?” This came to Inaho as too good to be true.

Yagarai rested his chin on the back of his hand as he replied, “If they recognize each other than yes, however keep in mind that this entire concept is relatively primitive. We don’t have any extensive research and reports to rely on for rules and guidelines so there is a chance that we could miss something important regarding the usage of this aldnoah trait. In that case,” he inhaled ,” that boy may not come out of it alive.” It was positively a cliché, but at the same time, it was true; they were making a bet and the down side of their gamble held irreversible consequences.

Inaho took a moment to ponder the idea. Truthfully, they had a better chance at saving Slaine with this method. Compared to the scenario where they try to use ‘A’ type blood—namely Eddelittuo’s blood—the winner was clear. The aldnoah factor’s biggest advantage was that its recognition system executed external to the body, allowing them to test for compatibility of the donor blood before transfusing it into the patient. On the other hand, the usage of ‘A’ type blood required them to risk aggregating Slaine’s blood as it flowed through his vessels, possibly putting an end to his life.

Even though there was a high chance that Slaine had ‘A’ type blood cells, an uncertainty remained since the file that Inaho had seen could have been a modified document containing the wrong information.

Inaho’s answer was clear, and with that he unfastened the button on his left sleeve collar rolling it up to his elbow, “Let’s test the aldnoah property first. If it does solidify, my suggestion is that we first give him a small portion of your ‘O’ negative blood, then we’ll slowly transition over to mine.” Slaine was extremely weak at the moment, so they would use Yagarai’s blood to first revitalize him as much as they could before taking the risk. Naturally, they would only make use of Inaho’s blood assuming that the recognition system actually happened to kick in.

Yagarai too understood this assumption, along with the unvoiced alternative that they would substitute Inaho’s blood with ‘A’ type blood if anything went wrong. “That’s pretty much the equivalent of my proposal. What do you two think Eddelittuo-san and Kaizuka-san?” The girls had equal rights to voice their opinions on this matter.

For Yuki it was an easy approval, however Eddelittuo found it much more challenging to voice an opinion. She despised the thought of leaving Slaine’s survival to luck; it was something that was scarce in the pale blond’s life. Yet she knew that this was the best option, they didn’t have a choice right now, her refusal to accept reality would only stall time. Eddelittuo released the hold she had on her dress as she requested instead. ” Please, help me save Slaine-sama.” If he made it through tonight she was hopeful that somehow his actual  _life_ could be saved as well. Slaine was finally free—no father, no verse, no prison… no war—he just had to stay alive.  

“Thank you Eddelittuo-san, I’ll give it my everything.” Even if all that he could really do was watch the boy throughout the procedure, Yagarai was determined to leave as little to luck as was possible.

 The Doctor swerved back to Inaho as he ripped the packaging for the sterilizer. Dropping the tiny paper envelope into the trash can, Yagarai swiftly took hold of Inaho’s arm. He then applied two quick taps with his middle and index finger followed by a light rub of the alcohol pad. “Inaho-kun, what are you going to do when Slaine Troyard awakens?” He inquired, but it was actually meant as a distraction because somewhere along that sentence he’d firmly pushed the needle into the brunettes arm. Again, the doctor took no more than a few drops before withdrawing the needle and placing a cotton pad over the wound. Immediately Inaho took hold of the dressing applying pressure while Yagarai labeled the reservoir with the brunnette’s initials. As the doctor placed the fresh sample next to Slaine’s, he labeled the boy’s as well. 

Inaho watched from the side, “I don’t know, Yuki-nee and I still need to discuss the details of what happened. When I get a better understanding of who did this to him we may have to form a counterattack.”

Stepping out of his chair Yagarai opened one of the cabinets above the bench obtaining two droppers. “I hope you won’t need to do that, it’s a pretty bold step to take. Such things aside, I’m going to be putting one drop of both your and Troyard’s blood in a petri dish. Since we don’t know what will happen it would be best to put on some safety goggles, they’re in the leftmost drawer.” Inaho caught on easily and retrieved two goggles handing one to Yagarai then putting the second one over himself.

With the safety goggles protecting his eyes and the petri dish already laying on the bench the doctor selected Slaine’s blood first; they were trying to introduce Inaho’s blood to Slaine and so he decided same thing would be done here, it was best to be thorough.

Inaho observed from the left as Yagarai dispensed one drop of the red liquid into the petri dish. He then returned the tube to the rack and acquired Inaho’s sample, along with a new dropper, repeating precisely what he had done with the first. The second droplet descended and collided with the already existing red which promptly engulfed it and then just became a bigger blob of red. Nothing, a few seconds ticked by with the four gazes locked on to the anticlimactic petri dish, but nothing… Well… they had tried. Honestly, it wasn’t much of a letdown, not a single person in the clinic had dared to believe that it would actually work. From the beginning such a baseless Idea never had any potential to this grouping, they all knew better than to rely on miracles.

Quite eagerly the group abandoned the petri dish on the bench for a more familiar method of saving someone’s life. Eddelittuo was repositioned on a lower standing chair sitting between an unconscious Slaine and the doctor. Meanwhile, Yagarai made some quick checks on his computer which had been conveniently placed on his left side away from the young ambassador. He sifted through a number of files before landing on Eddelittuo’s medical logs; she had no diseases, no abnormalities, and most importantly ‘A’ type blood.

Everything was good to go and as Inaho now sat on the high stool, effectively swapping places with Eddelittuo, he started to wondered what the blond had done to have her this securely loyal to him. She cared for him like he was an irreplaceable friend after only about a year and a half at his service. It was mildly perplexing, except in the span of one year some people also got married; then in a way her and Slaine’s relationship wasn’t all that unusual.

Suddenly a bright burst of light erupted into the room blanking out any thoughts that had preoccupied Inaho’s mind. It only took one second for it to be gone and oddly enough everyone in the clinic already had an inkling of what it was. Perhaps it was due to the warmth that was cast over their barely slumbering consciences, the four were certain that it was not an attack of any kind. Quickly they turned to look at the petri dish before freezing in place; not a single breath was taken as they beheld the scene before them.

Enveloped in the soft glow of myriad colours, the ruby sheen of a tiny drop of blood started warping. A couple beads of red lifted gracefully to form threads which intertwined to create something reminiscent of a rose bud. Surrounding the petri dish spheres of red floated as they seemingly leaked out of the two test tubes on the side. The bud began to swell when the spheres drew closer coating the flower’s exterior and coaxing the early rose into a bulbous shape. Then the delicate yet lively petals peeled naturally away from the tear drop center blooming into a lush, red rose. Again a smaller, yet just as luminous flash of brightness concentrated around the rose pooling energy into the mass of blood before dissipating into the air. A rattle of unmistakably solid over solid could be heard as the slightly levitated flower settled back into the petri dish.   

Staring at the penny sized flower Yagarai couldn’t stop the wide mouthed smile that took over his expressions, Yuki was startled out of fatigue, Eddelittuo adorned a face of bewilderment, and Inaho remained nonchalant save for the fact that he was currently walking towards the new creation.  _It worked!_

 No one else found it weird but Eddelittuo eyed the flower cautiously; it was beautiful, but why a rose? Didn’t red roses mean… then the aldnoah factor thought the two of them were…? It must have been a mistake; having those two as a pair was like putting two betta fish in the same tank, they would attempt to rip each other’s heads off. After all there had been such a strong animosity between them throughout the war. The young ambassador could discern that Inaho only protected the blond because of Asseylum, he would have likely put an end to the count’s life otherwise. Kind and gentle as he was Inaho was not naïve, and he certainly wasn’t generous enough to care about the life of some leader of war who, by the way, had tried to kill him. He was in charge of Slaine’s captivity, and that was the one thing that chained the two of them together. Straight out, there was no affection between these boys; their relationship was strictly business like—a mutualistic agreement.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone is wondering the girl in the picture above^ is indeed supposed to be your crazy author. 
> 
> Seriously though, thank you guys for reading along even when my update schedule has never been precise. 
> 
> Next chapter for sure we will clear up the confusion, and explain some of what exactly is going on, I'm still going to strive for weekly updates although I'm sure you all are bored of me saying that haha so just sit tight! Have a nice day!


	8. Bring Me Back to Desperate Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I made it... kind of. well, I was off by a day but we can all ignore that!
> 
> So I know the story is going a tad bit slow at the moment, but don't worry! We are at lift off. As plot line, characters, and an assortment of events snap into place, I will start to drive the main conflict into the story! 
> 
> Go now, read on!

The rhythmic click of the clinic’s clock ran along the steady beep of the electrocardiograph machine. All four of the room’s lucid occupants spoke not a word as they lounged around the room. Outside, the sun peaked over the horizon glowing dimly behind the early morning mist. None of the four had had a wee of sleep and the strain that it put on their bodies was clearly showing under their eyes.

“Would you like some coffee?”  Yuki offered, after having fiddled with the neglected coffee machine in the corner of the bench. She reached out to Yagarai with the cup in her hand, and the doctor looked up at her in a daze. He’d just detached the I. V. line from his radial artery, and was about to switch the intermediary blood filter to start dispensing saline solution from a hanging bag above.

For a good twenty minutes the doctor had been hooked up with Slaine’s arm transfusing a little less than half a unit of whole blood into the blond’s system. Yagarai must have been dead tired after tonight’s events, especially after having stubbornly refused to catch a few Z’s during the direct transfusion, claiming that it was best if he’d kept an eye on the blond. “Ah, Thank you,” He accepted with a soft voice, one that clearly hinted at his fatigue. He immediately took a sip of the hot liquid, and then studiously set the cup on the bench to continue checking the saline flush for air bubbles. When he confirmed that none were present, he turned the dial to allow for a steady flow into the I.V. tube.  

Slaine was looking a lot less freaky now. With his coloration having lost its ashen quality, Yuki would even argue that he kind of resembled a sloth. The silly yet contented expression on his sleeping face reveled in the rest that he was finally allowed to have. It was an endearing site to the entire clinic who’d seen him opposite to what he currently was, just a few hours ago. Well actually, reassuring may have been a better term since endearing implied that they felt affectionate towards him, which the majority of them did not.

For a long while, the blond had his stomach pressed against the mattress. The dead weight of his body sunk him into the bed while gently pulling the side of his face into the pillow. Inaho glanced at the sleeping figure in front of him and thought, with amusement, that it was weird how this boy always seemed to be the one to cause him headaches. _Even when you’re asleep you just have to cause me so much trouble, don’t you?_

Quite literally, his head was starting to pound telling of the imminent _headache_ that was actually coming. Following the intense driving spree that both he and his sister had drove, Inaho hadn’t had any sleep and was now voluntarily bleeding two cups of blood into a bag. There was no wonder that his right eye would be screaming death at him. “Yuki-nee can you grab me some water?” he requested, voice gruff; it wasn’t exactly wise to move around with a needle stuck in his arm.

“Sure, give me a sec,” she replied, placing her own cup of coffee next to the crystalline flower’s petri dish. The dainty little trinket still amazed her. It had such a mystical air about it, like a lost piece of ancient jewelry that had just resurfaced magnificently. It had originally been a part of the Aldnoah factor’s archaic usage, so then maybe it truly _was_ a lost jewel.

Entranced by the tiny flower, Yuki almost forgot her initial goal. She redirected her focus to the cabinet above, searching for another cup. When she found one she filled the cup with streaming water from a dispenser beside the door. “Here,” she presented, handing the glass to Inaho, “You should get some sleep, while you’re basically prisoner to this blood bag,” she remarked, reaching over to get the hair out of his face, “we’ll talk after that okay.” Her brother was eager to run through the details of today’s events, she knew that, but she also knew that his eye wouldn’t hold on for much longer. The discomfort was starting to wear his stoic expression away, and unlike her he’d been awake since yesterday’s misty morning hours. Yuki herself had been anticipating the late night shift and so she’d slept in to compensate.

“Eddelittuo-san, you should really rest your eyes as well,” she added. The young ambassador looked as if she was going to crash, slumped against the wall. She wasn’t even keeping her posture up anymore. Yuki had never seen the girl in such an unguarded state.

 “Ah, I want to keep an eye on—“

“Troyard is stable right now,” the doctor interjected, passing her a folded blanket. True, the boy wasn’t exactly ready to hop around, but he also wasn’t about to start spewing blood from his guts. Slaine would be fine for the time being; in fact, he seemed resilient enough to crack his eyes open at any given moment. “He should be awake by noon so you all need to let your bodies take a break. I’ll stay up, with the help of Yuki-san’s coffee,” He mentioned, raising the cup in his hand. Although gentle in tone, Yagarai’s voice silently warned his three patients that this was not a suggestion. They were in his clinic, and he was the doctor here, his orders were non-negotiable.     

* * *

 

Lemrina was glad for the full body motorcycle armor that she and Harklight had picked up at the dealer’s. Without it she would still be wearing her floor mopping dress, and that thing definitely would have caught on the jagged rocks littering the floor. _As if one pair of dysfunctional legs isn’t already enough,_ she scoffed _._ She had no use for a dress that would hold her back, both literally and figuratively. The moment she had left the moon base, she was no longer a princess —just Lemrina. Verse and its workings had nothing more to do with her.

“Lemrina-hime? Is something the matter?” Harklight called from in front. They were both tripping helplessly, and Harklight reached a hand out to support and simultaneously urge her forward. He thought the two of them were like siblings, him being the elder one. The princess accepted his hand and lagged behind him as they scavenged the cell for openings. They needed to get to the main building and hopefully access some data. 

“No, I was just thinking about something stupid,” She replied with a rueful smile, “and stop calling me ‘hime’ would you?” He just had to address her as such when she was thinking about how wonderful it was to be herself. It made her feel like an idiot for being sentimental. After all, the tag ‘hime,’ meant so much more to her than it really should mean. _Harklight,_ _I’m not a princess, treat me like a friend._ He was always so uptight, it was frustrating.

Harklight sighed, “You deserve every letter of that term,” He told her, peering over with a mildly reprimanding expression. After a moment of hesitation he continued, “Slaine-sama hated the indication of status in his name as well.” He remembered the countless number of times that Slaine had told him to drop the suffix of ‘sama’; he never once did, even now.

As they stumbled quickly through the extravagant ruin, Lemrina shivered in the cold. Above them, the crackling of flames could still be heard, but apparently this cell was an iceberg, or it was just endothermic as hell. She silently pitied whoever had had the sentence of living in here; the UFE may as well just have stuffed them in a fridge.

“Lemrina-sama, please cover your ears for a second,” Harklight suddenly instructed, mindful of the princess’s recent request. She was right, they’d outlived the time and place where he was to call her princess, she was Lemrina now. His arm delved into his jacket drawing a gun into his right hand. Trained as a soldier, it didn’t take him a second guess to swiftly pepper the side wall with a shower of bullets.   

Lemrina cupped her ears instinctively squeezing her eyes shut as well. The un-muffled gunshots reverberated in the cell bouncing off the concrete walls. “That’s not yours right?” She brought up, voice still tame, not exactly surprised. The shots sounded too much like the blast which had sent their vehicle sliding dangerously onto the floor.

“Yes, I picked it up off the ground just now,” He reported. “It most likely belonged to the guard who disabled our motorcycle.” She gave him a dismissive nod stepping up to the perforated wall. Harklight read the motion and went on to explain the mess that he’d just created, “There don’t seem to be any steel enforcements, so I would suggest blowing the concrete up.” From his over-packed pocket he drew a handful of innocent looking blueberry sized packages. Deceitfully innocent looking, but innocent they were not.  

In each bullet hole, he slipped one knot of what was actually shock induced explosives, and then retreated to the other side with Lemrina protected behind him. One toss of a rock hitting hard into the wall crumbled the one foot thick concrete like a waterfall to the ground.

* * *

 

Inaho felt a pair of cool hands working at his wrist. They were deft at their task and moved with profession. He shifted and scooched his back off the reclined panel of his chair opening an eye to check on the doctor crouching beside him. Sleep still clung to him, but he could groggily make out that the tape which secured the needle in his vein had disappeared.

“Ah, did I wake you? I’m just removing the needle from your wrist, stay down for a while you might feel dizzy,” Yagarai soothed, sensing the preamble movement of his waking patient. He pushed Inaho with one hand back onto the chair before sliding the needle free from the brunette’s arm in one practiced motion. For the record, Inaho remained calm as he felt the tiny sting of a withdrawn needle. He was used to it by now, it wasn’t like the many doctors who’d performed _miracles_ on him hadn’t pricked and prodded at his skin. He would even swear that a select few who’d installed his bionic eye were more interested in him as a subject than as a patient.

As Yagarai had instructed, Inaho chose to melt into his chair for the moment to let the sprouting nausea pass. Not that it was anything big; the doctor had briefed everyone so he was perfectly aware of why he had the slight sensation of gaging. Around half an hour ago they had decided, after an extensive panel with mostly Yuki posing the objections, that Inaho was to lose four hundred and fifty milliliters of blood to the blond. But they would only do it one time, and they would do it slowly with a hoard of liquid to keep his blood levels up. Inaho’s only loss would be the formed elements—most importantly the red blood cells—of his blood.

 Around the room Yuki was splayed out onto a chair looking very much un-ladylike, and Eddelittuo faired likewise while next to Slaine’s bed on the floor. Only now, when their conscious barriers lay dormant, did their true feelings come seeping through to taint their expressions. They had both fought hard to contain the fear, heck, Inaho and The Doctor had too. Everything was a mess tonight, and Slaine’s tattered form was a constant reminder. They hadn’t even had the chance to lapse into the familiar bantering of old friends. As soon as they had met it was an intense covert mission to save the criminal of two worlds. Seriously, what the hell were they doing? It was time to sort some things out.     

Inaho swung his arm experimentally to get the blood flowing again; he had had to keep it still for the better part of the donation. At the same time, he took a moment to gather his bearings, ready to prop himself up against the compelling gravity of his chair. Unsurprisingly, sleep was not yet ready to discharge his literally drained body.   

Folding lightly into himself he took an almost instinctive glance at his watch, _eleven thirty four._ Maybe he should go make some kind of comfort food for the group? Especially Yagarai. It was the least he could do to thank the self-sacrificing workaholic. He didn’t mean that as an insult, Inaho really appreciated the doctor’s unconditional hospitality. Putting it that way made it easier to accept the arduous efforts that the doctor had exerted towards saving Slaine—the boy was their enemy. He had nothing to gain from saving the blond. Somehow, Inaho could tell that Yagarai had done it for him and Yuki, maybe even Eddelittuo, but definitely not for Slaine.

The Doctor removed his glasses rubbing his eyes after he flopped down onto a chair. Inaho figured that it was probably best for the man to take a nap as supposed to eat right now. Besides, regaling the man when he was in a condition like that would hardly be called comfort. The doctor wouldn’t even be lucid enough to taste the meal. “Yagarai-sensei, I’ll take over watching Troyard so have a nap. It’s been the entire night for you right? At this rate you might just have a chance at snatching my reputation of being reckless.” He joked, with his usual, indifferent air. 

Square frame glasses still held in his hand, Yagarai turned his head up to listen as Inaho spoke. Focusing was really starting to become a challenge. He was experiencing that kind of muffled world; like someone had decided to cover his ears and flood the room with gas, everything seemed unnaturally distant. “Thanks Inaho-kun, I think I’ll have to take you up on that offer. Make sure to wake me if something seems wrong; I’m the type of person who can fall asleep repeatedly so don’t hold back.” He yawned and set his glasses next to the now empty coffee cup.

Inaho nodded while he pushed off of his chair. Now then, he should probably go over to have a look at Troyard. Inaho noted that the doctor had just hooked Slaine up with his blood, and upon closer inspection he could also see that the rose had been placed inside the barrel of the filter. Each drop of blood beat square on the center of the rose, yet it was fascinating that nothing had pooled into the groves of the flower. It would seem that his blood was able to pass easily through the flower leaving it unaffected, petals crisp and clean.

Inaho then peered down at the blond’s back. His wound was wrapped with several layers of dressings, but Slaine’s torso remained shirtless, and the gruesome slashes marring his skin peaked out from under the gauze. They possessed a pink-ish hue and Inaho realized that the markings were probably still sensitive. That was unusual. Scars generally healed to a paler colorization, so it would mean that Slaine was something of a rare case. The blond had always had a healthy amount of oddities, and it would appear that Inaho had just found another one, not that he cared. Really, those inflamed slashes didn’t _bother_ him at all.

Unintentionally, Inaho’s hand reached for one of the more prominent marks. He didn’t know why he was doing it, but for some reason he wanted to know… what story did these scars tell? Who was this boy? He wanted that knowledge. Slowly his hand fell onto the smooth flesh and he followed the linear bump until it tapered off leveling with Slaine’s backplane.  

…Bright, it was bright, although his eyes were closed. Something or someone was trailing their hand down his back, and it felt disgusting. Where was this, where was he? Gradually the sound of something medical—a beeping noise—grew stronger, and he heard a voice, “Eddel… san… wake…” but it was fading in and out. _Who? Eddel-ittuo? Did I fall asleep in the princess’ chamber, is that the beeping?_

His arms and legs were numb, and he noticed that something was terribly wrong. His body was burning, and it felt as if he’d been plopped in a steamer. What an odd combination, numb and burning, it wasn’t anything that he could explain; the closest analogy would be the cold sensation that absurdly arises when blazing hot water gushes onto one’s finger. But it wasn’t just a finger right now; he felt it just about everywhere! _  
_

His mind was not exactly… his, at the moment, and it was impossible to recall much, if anything at all. Instead, Slain attempted to move his finger or force his eyes open. At the same moment, a different pair of hands from the one that had been brushing his scars closed around his own that lay on the bed. They gently squeezed his fingers together.

“Slaine-sama, can you hear me? It’s Eddelittuo,” she hurriedly blurted as she held onto his hand, hoping to somehow reach the blond’s conscious mind. There was an unbearable weight that lifted off of her shoulders when the blond began to speak—rather slur, but that didn’t really matter.

“Eddelittuo-san? Where is this? Is the princess alright?”

 _The princess?_ _He shouldn’t know about the poisoning._ Eddelittuo turned a questioning gaze at Inaho who shook his head. She frowned hoping that her former master wasn’t delusional. Eddelittuo supposed that it was an emotionally invested thought, but crazy man and Slaine Troyard did not meld, even if he’d done a lot of insane things. “We’re at the clinic. You were in an accident yesterday night. The empress is not with us.” She gave, choosing not to reveal Asseylum’s health status quite just yet; Slaine was in serious need of a breather.

Inaho expressionlessly stood witness to Eddelittuo and Slaine’s reunion. He opted to let the two of them converse. Slaine probably thought that he was somewhere else, along with the princess and Eddelittuo. Probably on verse, when he had ruled with Asseylum locked up in a cage. That was one thing that never made sense to the brunette; why had the blond decided to block the princess from having her reign when she was back in verse? Even Eddelittuo, who was almost a part of Asseylum herself, helped him with his rule.

At the time, wouldn’t it have been better to allow the princess to order a ceasefire. The war could have ended there, and if not, her intention of finding peace with the two nations would at least have pacified some of the forces. For some absurd reason, the thought of Slaine being evil never crossed his mind.

He would have asked the Empress about it, except their schedules never complied. Eddelittuo, on the other hand, always seemed reluctant to give him the details of that period. She had said that it was best to hear it from the boy himself, but Inaho hardly went to visit him. He didn’t want suspicions to arise; if the higher ups got the idea that he was planning something they would execute Slaine. No, if they as much as had a chance they would kill him. Just look at the spiral of events happening now.

 _Well, here he is,_ Inaho thought. However, it would be plain old insensitive to ask at the moment, not to mention _a little_ out of place. He could afford to wait for a chance; it wasn’t like there was a possibility of ridding himself of the blond anytime soon anyway.

“How are you feeling Troyard.” He said, completely forgetting to introduce himself to the severely disoriented blond. Slaine’s teeth were pressed together, the boy likely experiencing a fair bit of pain.

Slaine glared at the blurry vision of the man towering over him,“Who are you,” he rasped. He was having a hard time concentrating with all the sensory input and even when he couldn't recognize the voice he did not like it. Still trying to figure out what was happening, it felt probable that some versian prude who obviously despised him—there were a lot of them— had decided to either poison, or brutally beat him to death. Although, whoever it was didn’t do a good enough job… again, he was still alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hope you enjoyed that! 
> 
> I know I know, I lied again. There was no explanation of what's happening, it will happen, trust me. (I'm really starting to feel like an ass for always alerting you guys of the next chapter's supposed events when they don't happen, and then I just feel like the story is moving way too slow and it's boring. Tell me if it is because I sincerely don't know! thx) 
> 
> I love you guys for all the support that you give this project, HAVE A NICE DAY!


	9. Defy The Sacred

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I'm back! The start of school has took a tole on my schedule, but I still refuse to let this story go. I will never let it go.
> 
> I don't really have much to say today, so enjoy the story!

With his lacerated palms surprisingly painless, Slaine dug his bandaged hands into the cotton sheets beneath him. His vision was starting to clear as he blinked, and the force of his arms against the bed helped to force his hazy conscience in place as well. Unfortunately, he could tell that there were pulsing head pains ready for action when he let the exertion go.

Without delay, Eddelittuo supported Slaine at his side. She wrapped her arms lightly over his torso shouldering the weight of his body being lifted up. “Slaine-sama! You should not be getting up yet,” She mumbled, while ironically aiding his rise. She knew he was not the type to listen, back in verse he seemed to expect his body to work like that of an immortal—like it wasn’t of any importance. Yet she couldn’t help the curve which her lips decided to draw.

“Thank you, Eddelittuo-san,” Slaine murmured with a wince, as he forced his aching body around, almost tumbling back into the bed. An astute glance at their surroundings swiftly revealed that he was not anywhere close to a normal clinic. With the amount of high end equipment that this place housed, it was better addressed as a mini hospital.

“Where, exactly are we?” He prompted, while examining the condition of his hands. Slaine knew that Eddelittuo was not the only one at his side; when he’d woken, there had been an unidentified man standing next to her. He now noted that it was someone who he currently did not want to deal with. Honestly, as long as he himself didn’t look at the person, it would be easier to pass the brunette off as a piece of furniture, for the moment anyway.

“We are in the Deucalion, Inaho-san called me yesterday when he and Yuki-san found you, um—she was not going to say dying—when they found you injured. I got us permission to bring you here so we could treat it.” Eddelittuo took extra care to exempt certain pieces of information from her speech, especially those that would remind Slaine of exactly why he hadn’t been brought to the hospital.

_Deucalion—the battle ship where Asseylum-hime lived when she’d visited earth._ “Eddelittuo-san, how is the princess doing?” He inquired. He couldn’t hold it back anymore; the encroaching fear that continually gnawed at his mind while whispering that she was in danger, could no longer be ignored. There was no way of denying that something ominous had begun, and that his sole protector—the princess—could no longer shield him from external threats. _God please, did he still have to keep on going? Had he not already lived for long enough?_ He knew that he would protect her even if it meant his wretched life would go on for another hundred years.

Eddelittuo Immediately pursed her lips together peering to the side. “At the moment, her highness is doing everything that she can for us. Verse has developed a couple of issues as well, but I’m sure that hime-sama will resolve them.” It wasn’t the answer that Slaine was looking for, but it was all that she would allow for him to know. He was hiding it well, but pain still dominated his facial features. The blond’s breath hitched when he moved, and the way that his body leaned into the pillows told her enough about his strength, close to none. “You must be thirsty right? I’ll go get you some water. Inaho-san, can you watch over Slaine-sama while I do that?” The young ambassador swiftly ordered, strategically taking her leave before Slaine had the chance to ask for details.

Had his brain not been melting away, Slaine would have easily picked up on Eddelittuo’s intentions. But it was, so he smiled softly as he watched the girl reach for the handle of the cabinet. She was just barely tall enough standing on her toes. He then tilted his head back and let his eyes flutter close as the pillow behind him came into contact. “How is Yuki-san?” He breathed; it was such a weird feeling to be out of breath from speaking. As far as he knew, back wounds didn’t affect stamina, so prison had sucked the strength out of him.

“Yuki-nee is doing fine; she’s sleeping at the moment. Do you want me to wake her?” Inaho questioned. Yuki was definitely the stronger one when it came to comforting conversations, something that he felt Slaine needed at the moment. The memory of waking up in a hospital bed without knowing how he got there was relatively vivid even now. Along with the confusion, there was a certain fear that aroused from not knowing when, or if he would recover. He hadn’t like the feeling of physically not being able to get out of bed.

Slaine, however, was pretty used to the sensation of displacement, often having greeted the day in a backdoor storeroom or something. To a degree, even his brutalized body felt familiar. “No, don’t, let her rest… I’m not in the condition to speak for long anyway.” There was this disconcerting feeling of rocks sitting on his chest, and they were, not so slowly getting heavier. Seriously, there had to be a limit to how low one’s stamina could get, but the blond found that he was only ever loosing air as he spoke.

Without warning Inaho bent down and placed his hand on Slaine’s forehead. It didn’t take a second for Slaine to shrug away with as much vigour as his miserable body would allow, glaring at the now leant over, younger boy. It wasn’t for long, but Inaho could feel the unnatural heat that emanated from the older boy’s body. He could also hear the brisk pace of Slaine exhaling, breathing as one would only after a marathon. “Troyard, are you short on air?” Inaho decided to confirm.

Slaine took a moment to mentally guide his racing lungs towards more of a walk. “I think, it’s getting harder to breath,” he mumbled. This was not good, he was sure that it wasn’t normal to act like he had a punctured lung from a back wound. Unless… the metal had actually gone through to his lung, it was possible. However running around with Yuki would then have been a more painful and much more gruesome event.  

“I’ll go get Yagarai sensei to have a look then,” Inaho informed while walking over to the sleeping doctor. He felt terrible for waking the man up, but it worried him that Slaine seemed to be slowly losing the battle for air.

As Inaho left, Eddelittuo returned to Slaine’s side with a mug in one hand, when she neared the bed her eyes widened involuntarily. _Oh god, what is that!_ “Inaho-san! The flower, it’s— Slaine-sama!“

Slaine was tugging at his shirt now, he couldn’t breathe! Air was going in but it wasn’t doing anything. He clenched the fabric, one hand on top of the other, pressing hard into his chest. Natural instincts were telling him to inspire harder, faster, but it wasn’t working. A burn erupted within his lungs which diffused throughout his body, and the heated numbness from when he’d woken wrapped around his senses once again. It most definitely had the worst timing ever. 

“Slaine-sama, hang in there, it’s alright, you’re going to be alright,” Eddelittuo comforted, not exactly sure if the words were meant for Slaine or herself. Her own heart was knocking against her chest almost hard enough to break her young ribcage. She watched, useless, as Slaine squirmed in his bed, eyes wide with… was that fear? No, it was definitely close but not exactly fear, Slaine did not fear death; his body’s defence mechanism made it seem as if he did.

 Eddelittuo nibbled at her lower lip, it had always nettled her that he gave so little attention to his mortality.

As she heard the blond’s disturbingly loud gasps for air, the young ambassador bravely approached Slaine cupping his cheeks with her hands. “Slaine-sama, it’s alright. Inhale slowly,” She instructed, voice strong and steady now.  

 Inaho flung around to witness a scene that he had feared; they were losing him, again. Just how many times does this boy have to come close to death before he is saved… no, will he be saved? It was as if they were grappling with the soul reaper for his life. Inaho shook his head— _soul reapers don’t exist—_ he reminded himself.  

“Yagarai sensei, please wake up. Troyard is having troubles breathing.” Inaho alerted the doctor with minimal amounts of alarm. Once the man started to stir, the brunette paced back towards Slaine’s bed. In less than a second, the scene that had earlier startled Eddelittuo came into view. The crystalline flower no longer appeared to be innocent—it no longer looked mindless; blood red thorns grew out of vines which originated from the bottom of the rose. With wicked intention, one of the thickest vessels was travelling straight towards Slaine’s arm through the transfusion line.

Inaho instantly took the blond’s arm, pulling it away from the boy’s chest, and sliding the needle out of his vein. Slaine shot a horrified glance up at Inaho whipping his head to the side, and cursing quietly when he saw the entire blood bag start to crystalize. He recognized the flower living inside the barrel.

Back in his father’s lab Slaine had encountered the same flower; it was a seal, if he remembered correctly. They always had a sublime beauty, and Slaine had never been able to pull his eyes away from the encased test subjects. He adored the delicate roses that represented something so pure—so outwardly different than who they were actually made of.

Now that he thought of it, Count Saazbaum and Orlane had one too; it was the strongest sample among the three flowers that lived in their lab. That thought made a pang of remorse reach out for the couple in his mind. Count Saazbaum was a good man who’d loved his fiancée enough to hand his life over to vengeance when she’d died. Perhaps things could have been different had she not been killed; maybe he would never have even needed to put an end to the man’s life. No, he didn’t want to think about the possibility.  

The memories that washed along as he assessed the familiar shape of the rose tickled the back of his eyes. It was still as elegant as it was to his young mind, so strong, valiant even, and it reminded him of the times when life had been just a little more oblivious sheltered by his father’s back. Unfortunately—or fortunately—he didn’t really have long to reminisce. His lungs decided to contract painfully hard once more, sending him into a swirl of unfinished thoughts: Air, flowers, blood, air, Aldnoah vows.

The rose, he became aware, was the result of a vow between two people. That was the part of it that he’d always loved the most. However in the next moment of his clairvoyance Slaine found himself mortified of that exact same fact. The needle that Inaho had just removed from him was channelling blood from what would seem like a transfusion line housing a flower; it meant that he had one hand in the vow that created it.

Dread settled in the pit of his stomach as he both tried to find, and desperately failed to reach a better conclusion. _No! no no no…please no! This can’t be happening!_ But it was, and someone in this room had been unknowingly tied to him, for life.

The needle that Inaho had plucked from his arm lifted the suffocation-laughably just enough to welcome hyperventilation. Between short breaths and scathing numbness around his body, Slaine forced his voice to reach audibility. Already, he had a growing suspicion of who the person that stood on the other side of their damn vow was. For all that remained of him, let him be wrong, but only one other person in this room had the Aldnoah factor, and he almost didn’t want to confirm it. “Kaizuka, is that…your blood?” He panted, pointing at the blood bag, expression contorted in something between agony and pure disgust.       

Inaho wore a subtle frown as he replied, “Yes, it is,” not at all understanding what the blond was trying to getting at. It wasn’t as if Troyard had a spontaneous urge—to despise everything in relation to himself was it? He was pretty sure that the blond was not so petty. Not to say that Slaine wouldn’t have refused the transfusion if it was still in question, but what’s done was done. He had the impression that the former count wasn’t the type to waste time and energy on something that was inexorable. 

Inaho took one step back allowing the incoming doctor to take his post adjacent to Slaine’s bed. Surprisingly enough, Slaine purposefully reached out to stop him from moving aside. If Inaho didn’t understand the blond earlier, he sure as hell did not understand him now. So apparently, his blood was repugnant, while his presence not so much?

Yagarai held a respirator ready and he skilfully attempted to place it around Slaine’s head, but the boy refused him. “No, I know what it is, that’s…not going to help.” He heaved. It wasn’t an oxygen problem that he was dealing with; it was the Aldnoah vow going haywire upon partial completion. He only now realized that this group—who’d initiated the reaction—had zero understandings as to what they were actually playing with. He hadn’t even the slightest clue where they’d learnt of the property, it was in his understandings that this particular lab yielded no research papers. In his father’s own words, it was too dangerous of a property for conventional exploitation. Slaine knew with horror that he had been correct.

“All of you, except for Kaizuka, leave this room,” he almost demanded, despite being its weakest inhabitant. Even with limited air to carry the words out of his mouth, Slaine flawlessly managed a definitive assertion to his tone, “Now,” he added. The appalling truth and mind clouding suffocation was enough to make him care less about being polite, he wanted badly to have everything stop _;_ no more. No more of this pain and suffering. He had enough, really. He finally could not handle it anymore.    

Drowsily, Yuki pushed up to a proper position in her chair. Blessed haze fogging her senses, she made out enough to see that a cluster of people had gathered around Slaine’s bed. The boy’s ragged breathing and tender voice, quite clearly, warned of the forthwith situation. Something was wrong, very wrong.  

Although hesitantly at first, Eddelittuo was the first to respond to Slaine’s words. Maybe it was something trained within her to abide by his orders, but she trusted him. When Slaine Saazbaum Troyard sounded like that, it either meant that he had everything under control, or that he was royally pissed. Whichever one it was she had no way of knowing for sure, but if she were to guess for today, it was more strongly the latter. “Slaine-sama, please inform us when you are finished,” Eddelittuo asked, pulling Yuki along as she explained to her what was happening.

“Ah, wha—where are we going?” Yuki stuttered, trailing behind the younger girl who slowed down to match her pace.

“Slaine-sama wants us to leave him and Inaho-san alone for a bit, we should also get some food while we’re at it,” She mentioned, not really sure what else to do. Truthfully she was extremely reluctant to leave the two in here. The last time that’d happened, the alone part, it had not turned out well.

Only because what they were using on the boy was of familiarity to the blond did Yagarai let him have his way. Slaine carried himself as if he had a better chance of fixing the problem than the the doctor was ever going to have. Yagarai had not missed the mix of emotions that flashed across Slaine’s features as he glared at the transfusion equipment. In particular, he’d caught the boy staring at the flower; the blond knew something that they did not.

Yagarai settled the respirator that he’d retracted onto the bench beside them. “I’ll be checking in on you two in fifteen minutes.” He declared, before heading towards the door. There was something fundamentally wrong about leaving a suffocating patent at request. It made him feel uneasy, like he was willingly walking into a trap that the blond had laid out. He couldn’t completely trust Slaine yet.

Slaine gave a few seconds after everyone had left before he started his speech, “Kaizuka Inaho, you have three choices,” he started, “kill me here, allow me take my own life, or let me take yours.” That was the only way that a vow could be revoked. Much like acquiring the Aldnoah factor, denial after acceptance did not happen, and there were similarly two things to the completion of a vow; blood was one of them, the other, Slaine refused to think about. It was not a possibility, especially not with this person, just not happening.

Inaho paused in a moment of consideration. Slaine seemed to be having a little more luck with his air so he decided to entertain a certain curiosity. He rummaged around in the drawers finding what he wanted in one of the many beakers. Pulling the protective packaging off of the surgical blade, he then handed it to the older boy. “You can take mine then, don’t even think about trying for your own in the condition that you are in. I will stop you.” He spoke as if they were discussing Kataphrakts or something of that nature.

Slaine was completely bewildered as his shocked mind attempted to make sense of what Inaho had just allowed. He hadn’t actually meant what he’d said; as far as Inaho’s life was concerned he wasn’t going to take it regardless. As much as he hated… no detested the other boy, it wasn’t worth the guilt of ending another life. He already had enough sin plastered onto his being that even the devil would run from his company.

“Too bad for you, Yuki-san would kill me after I make my move so it would be a double win for me. I… hadn’t meant what I said.” Inaho had guessed that Slaine wasn’t going to attack him, from previous experience it was more likely that the blond would try to take his own life. Not that he was going to be given the chance though; Inaho was fully on guard even if he didn’t seem like it.

Having nowhere to place the blade Slaine awkwardly held it suspended in the air until Inaho signalled to have it back. “Yuki-nee is too nice to kill, but she’d probably hold the grudge for life. I’m not too sure if you would consider that a win,” he clarified, although completely aware that Slaine knew it even without his reminder. Slaine didn’t say anything back, he just turned away unintentionally delaying the inevitable.

Inaho took it as a signifier for him to take the initiative. “What do we need to do to stop your reactions to my blood?” He said flawlessly. it was kind of an awkward sentence to voice, but Inaho didn’t let the discomfort show. Slaine weakly clenched the bed sheets at his side. The blond really didn’t want to be having this conversation.

“The thing that you guys created is called an Aldnoah vow. It requires two things for initiation. Once it is started it cannot be deactivated, and if not completed, it will indefinitely dampen one’s health, as you can see. It won’t kill however. One of the requirements is blood contact between two people with the Aldnoah factor. The other… I suppose I should tell you this as well, an aldnoah vow is originally meant for two people who love each other, it binds them for life. It isn’t supposed to work unless that is true, I don’t know what went wrong with us. That’s exactly why the second requirement…” Slaine halted for a split second. He was mortified and totally embarrassed with what he had to tell the brunette. “ it’s a kiss on the lips.”

It was almost inaudible, but Inaho had heard it, and he was not surprized. Considering the reluctance of the blond as he explained Inaho had assumed that it was something of the kind. Nonetheless, he was not amused by the idea. So kissing Slaine was what would solve the problem. That in itself was a problem. Besides, what was this sleeping beauty like situation? The only difference was that Slaine was not asleep, and that he was not so enthusiastic about kissing the blond. Well, it had to be done so better sooner than later. He wasn’t going to sit back and let the blond take all the consequences for what they had done. It wasn’t his fault, it was theirs.     

Inaho reached down gently turning Slaines face to look at him. He could feel the soft tresses of pale blond hair caressing his fingers as he held the boy in place. It was softer than he’d imagined. Quickly, with a hint of hesitation Inaho leaned in and closed his eyes. He wasn’t trying to enjoy the sensations or anything; it was simply far too awkward to hold eye contact. Slaine flinched away at first but Inaho was holding him down with more force than the blond appreciated him to. The pillow resting behind Slaine's head already gave as much as it was able to, all but encasing his head. There was nowhere for the blond to run. Slaine slowly relented as he stilled and felt the soft lips push into his own. It felt revolting, he wanted more than anything, at the moment, to push the brunette away. It was not enjoyable, but some obscene absurdity within him sparked the moment that their lips made contact, and then it was gone. _What the hell?_ He had _not_ just responded. He had not.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that happened XD. ahaha I wasn't really expecting it, but what can I say. It was like two in the morning when I finished this (oh night life) 
> 
> I'm not sure when the next chapter will be ready but I'm trying! It won't take as long as this one. 
> 
> As usual, thanks guys! until next time.


	10. Gnaw At Our Tolerance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI guys! it's been... two weeks? I had a lot fun writing this chap so hope you enjoy the sweet awkwardness between our boys! 
> 
> Also, Halloween is nearing! has everyone carved their pumpkins yet? Whether you have or have not, we (as in a family of passionate AZ fans) are holding a Halloween role play party in our group chat, on the 31st of October, at 8:00 UTC. Everyone is welcome so come join us for some most intriguing conversations. 
> 
> Here is the link to the chat: http://us23.chatzy.com/39059880273998
> 
> Actually, come find us even if it isn't for Halloween. We love newcomers!
> 
> Edit:Nov 2nd, 2015: at the end of para.5 Rosiel_AZ helped me catch an error. I have corrected the originally "included" to "excluded". Much thanks to Rosiel, for pointing that out!

Inaho felt Slaine shiver as he caught the boy’s lips on his own. The brunette didn’t really care that this was where his first kiss lay. It wasn’t a real kiss anyway; none of the required feelings to make it sensual were present. Slaine shuddered involuntarily as he shifted and grasped Inaho’s shoulders using them as a point of leverage to push the other boy away. There was no need for this to go on for longer than the initial moment of contact. “That’s enough, it should be fine now,” he mumbled, a little more than slightly disgruntled. Finally, he had the chance to pull much needed air into his system. As quickly as was physically possible without painfully stretching his back wound, Slaine twisted away from Inaho, coughing harshly as he went.

Inaho distanced himself while brushing the back of his hand over his mouth. He would have done so sooner except Slaine had never mentioned when the vow would be completed, and his lips had literally been sealed once the question had formed. That aside, he was much more interested in the simplicity of the act, finding it extremely relieving that they didn’t have to go any further. Similarly, Slaine was grateful that he no longer had to suppress the urge to punch the brunette. Anymore, and he swore it could have happened out of reflex.

A few dragging seconds of awkward silence provided them the time to straighten up, or at least pick up some degree of composure. Slaine could tell his cheeks were coloured, and honestly it bewildered him more than anything. This was Kaizuka Inaho, not the princess, what in the world had the vow done to him? Surely his embarrassment was all that made it hard to tame the blushing, right? He couldn’t deny that there was something else, and it was wrong, so impossibly wrong.

Slaine’s fingers went to play with the fabric of his bed. He couldn’t stop the unexplainable, cursed yearning that he was feeling and he had to do something to distract himself before it drove him crazy. He wasn’t even sure what it was that he wanted so badly, just that it was something from the brunette. He focused on the texture of the fabric in his hands; trying hard to dismiss any and all thoughts to do with a certain single eyed frustration, save for the strong hatred that thankfully remained. He hated Kaizuka Inaho. End of story.   

From his mouth Inaho dropped his hand to the side, and seeing that the blond hadn’t lifted his head from its declined position, he moved to ruffle the soft, golden tufts. “Are you ok? Troyar—” _What?_ Those were not _his_ actions. Inaho was good at detaching himself from emotions and examining the situation for what it was. He was perfectly certain that only about thirty percent of his recent behavior was actually his, hair touching excluded.

Slaine flung his left arm over his head with a little more vigor than he’d intended which brought about a hiss from his lips. “Don’t touch me!” he stammered, _don’t push me any further! Not in this state._ Inaho instantly pulled away. This Aldnoah vow thing was more taboo than he had thought _; taboo for them at least_. “Sorry I hadn’t meant to do that, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, just…give me a moment, and don’t touch me.” Slaine felt kind of sorry that he’d reacted _that_ badly. He hadn’t expected the contact, and it’d been too long since anyone had touched him gently, with care. It was no wonder that prison was rumored to have people practically begging for skin ship of any kind. _Like a caged kitten_ , Slaine thought.

For a moment, Inaho’s hand had also brought him back to the daily bullying he was subjected to as a child. Almost all contact that was done to his head was some sort of brute force which would send him banging roughly into the ground. It was the fear that had sent his hand up, not to push the other away, but to cover his skull from the impact that he’d thought would come.

“This is a mess, how in the world did you even know that this thing exists?” Slaine’s quiet murmur slowly neared a more audible note as he leant back into the pillows behind him, careful of his back. He couldn’t make himself look Inaho in the eye, so he just stared at the brunette’s chest; gazing but not really seeing what was there.

“Yagarai sensei learnt it from a friend of his—Lemrina Verse Envers. She said that she’d learnt it from your father before he was assassinated.” Inaho didn’t see the point in hiding the second princess from Slaine. They probably knew each other anyway, more so if she’d met his father. Slaine now turned to look at him, his expression somewhat abashed. Inaho noted that the blond’s cheeks were not coloured anymore, quite the opposite actually, he appeared slightly blanched?

“Kaizuka, my father was not murdered. He died in his lab from overwork, and an accidental, lethal dose of gaseous chemicals.” The blond would not have this conversation now. Slaine had always found it odd that his father had made such a careless mistake, but he didn’t particularly want to learn of yet another enemy in his life. He had doubted it as a child—that perhaps his father hadn’t slipped up. However, what was a terrain dog to do? His only truth was that the man had left him, like his mother had, without warning. “Anyway, I hadn’t known that Lemrina-hime knew him. So the princess is alive…” He trailed off in memory of the lilac haired girl, letting her take over his worries of the moment.  

“I have never met her, but Yagarai sensei might know something. You can ask him later.” That was the best answer that Inaho could give to Slaine’s rueful expression. The blond was so incredibly expressive sometimes, but he could also be frighteningly blank. To be frank, Slaine Saazbaum Troyard gave him the chills when he appeared to be nothing but a timid boy. Inaho had had a really hard time gauging how much the blond was hiding from him when they were in battle, and he often wondered how much of the Slaine that he saw right now was real. He was so different, and it haunted him that maybe this was the real Slaine. Could he have made it different for the blond had he only listened in Russia? It was hard to say, life was hard.

Slaine exhaled, “Maybe I’ll do that later, thanks.”Slaine shifted positions hugging the blanket into his chest, “For the moment, can you maybe sit down or something? It’s kind of hard to keep my head raised.” Truthfully it made him feel like a puny little subject, the stern way that Inaho was looking at him. He wasn’t supposed to feel that way, he was supposed to glare back at the brunette, but in the state that he was in, Slaine couldn’t help but feel vulnerable. It made him want to claw at his skin, he hated being so useless. Why was he always so useless? The feeling drew upon memories of being chained up in the torture chamber. Knowing that he would get whipped, and having no means to prevent it.

Slaine was certain that life was against him today; all these memories were crawling out, without a doubt, because he was too weak to fight them. The physical attacks were done, but apparently mental anguish had loads to play. Inaho dutifully pulled the rolling chair behind him into a proper position before taking a seat. The view of Slaine’s pale blond head didn’t particularly strike his fancy either; he just hadn’t thought that the blond would converse for long.

* * *

 

The forest seemed to keep growing as they scurried through the foliage, breezy wind whipping their hair wild. If it wasn’t for the flickering light beams behind them, Lemrina would have giggled at Harklight’s “new and improved” naturally set, punk rock hair style. Right now though, they had other imminent things to consider. There were currently a fleet of martians hunting them, and drowsiness was threatening to cut the cord between both of their brains and bodies.   

Half an hour ago they had been searching restlessly, beyond the shattered prison wall, before some untimely military personnel caught on their tracks. Later, it became pretty clear that the man was a Martian knight. He was hardly distinguishable: light brown hair, light brown eyes, grey uniform, and in his twenties. The man was stern by the looks of it, though that was hardly an accurate opinion because of the gun that he was pointing at their faces. Despite the fact, it hadn’t particularly fazed them; most knights in their twenties only knew how to _hold_ a gun. Slaine was about the only one who would ever shoot.

In response to the situation, Harklight had smoothly muttered a completely fictional “Beilzen-sama, it has been a while,” and caught the martian off guard. With a rapid step and duck to the side, while thrusting his right hand under the gun, Harklight sent a hard jab to the other’s wrist from above. Under the impact, the martian’s grip loosened enough for Harklight’s right hand, which continued going upwards, to snatch the weapon from the man’s hand. With one finale movement, Harklight straightened up from behind, and knocked the bewildered man to the ground, making an unconventional usage of the gun’s handle as a blunt object.  

Unfortunately, the attack hadn’t ended there, as soon as the unconscious man hit the ground, two more grey uniformed personnel trailed in. In that same moment, Lemrina and Harklight made a quick exchange of eye contact before smartly bolting for the exit. One, they could handle, however two or more was a risk towards being figured out. It was easy to forget that Lemrina was risking her life, and potentially the whole of verse, to search for Slaine.

The grass under their feet lay on uneven ground, forcing an undesired amount of force shooting back up their legs with each step. Lemrina was having a hard time catching all her falls before she actually hit the dirt, and Harklight deliberately held back on his speed. As the source which had removed the lilac haired princess from rehabilitation, he carried a strong sense of responsibility for her wellbeing. Sometimes he wondered if roping her into this been a good idea at all. One month ago it had, but seeing her now he could only hope that his military experience was enough to get them home again. _If they couldn’t get back together, he would at least send her back to Yagarai._

As a dangling branch ran into his face, Harklight caught the flailing shoot and lifted it for Lemrina to pass. On their wake, a glimpse of several scanning lights told him that their pursuers were dangerously close. Soon enough a couple of voices could be heard, “We are not a threat, stop all motions, and raise your hands. I repeat, stop all motions and raise your hands. We will not charge you of any crimes.” It was a woman who had directly addressed them. Lemrina smiled wryly. The Martians had the mind to make it less intimidating by using a female speaker; too bad for them, both Harklight and her knew for a fact that Martian woman were the scariest of them all.

The gap between Martians and them was forever a thinning line even as they scrambled forward. At this rate, Harklight could tell it was virtually impossible to get away together. The princess was ahead by only a meter—not enough; it was time to make his decision. “Lemrina-sama, this isn’t cutting it, you need to find something to hide your identity before they see you. We’ll meet behind the convenience store, have a safe trip.” He ghosted the words, with an airy whisper as he ran.

Lemrina didn’t turn to look, focusing instead on evading tree after tree, “Can I trust you Harklight? Can I trust that I won’t have to wait for eternity behind that lonely store?” She _could_ trust him, but it didn’t stop her from trying to get a verbal confirmation from the other. If things go awry, this could very well be the last time that she’d see him. _Please make it back Harklight!_ “Safe hunting,” She returned to him with an unwavering amount of resolve. With a hard thrust against the ground, she beard all weight on one leg and made a sharp turn to the side.

Harklight watched her take the 90 degree turn as she dashed further into the forest. He then picked up pace, intentionally letting the stray branches snap and scrape loudly against his protective gear. Catching his fleeting courage, Harklight took a chance and soon stopped abruptly, pressing his back into the rough bark of a tree. He respired a steady breath of air. Okay, this was it; these next fifteen minutes would either get him precious information, or get him killed. _Don’t mess this up Harklight._

The gun he had earlier snatched was held tightly in his hand. Nervous moisture on his palms created some degree of traction as he pulled the slider, loading the semi-automatic shooter just in case it hadn’t already been loaded. Catching the round that flew out the side, Harklight smirked lightly— _so it had been loaded_. He shoved the round into his pocket peering over the tree to check that the Martian group was less than five meters away.

What were they doing here? Did earth know? Were they looking for something from the mansion—the prisoner inside? Did that prisoner know something? As these questions flickered in his mind, Harklight tried to figure out what he could and could not say to keep life in his hands. He really didn’t have much to work with, knowing little of how the martians were connected to this place, let alone how significant, or insignificant, the mansion was. What he did know was that there was a chance that this place housed information on Slaine.  

It had been around a month and a half back when he’d basically infiltrated into the UFE ranks and found that this mysterious building was connected to Slaine in some way. Along with that information, he’d also learnt about Lemrina’s whereabouts. In hopes of finding the second princess safe and in good hands he’d journeyed to her, and by default Yagarai. From there, it had been inevitable that she’d learnt about his search for Slaine, and recklessly she’d attempted to join him. In the end, she had managed to get away from the worrying mother—Yagarai by telling him that she wanted to travel the world before her chance slipped away.

Just last week they’d discovered the military evacuation, and decided that it was now that two suspicious people could ever head into a military village. The motorcycle stunt earlier had been a little of a risk, but it was the only way they’d ever get into the secret fortress. Lemrina could be one hell of an insane strategist when she wanted to be.

 _Three…two…one…_ “In the prison earlier, where has the inmate been taken!” Harklight called, making sure that he didn’t sound in any way cornered. Bluffing, he had learned, was a very good way to gather information. It also made it seem as if he was clear on what happened in the mansion, raising his value to what he assumed was a searching Martian platoon. That way they at least wouldn’t kill him immediately.

“Hmph, so this is how you do things. Don’t lie to us, you took and hid that piece of trash, right? Actually...he should be dead now, so you're just a creepy asshole. Lying after you steal a dead body, I have no idea what your brain is made of,” She spat. The Martian woman shuffled closer until they could fully make out the each other’s visage. “Tell you what; I’m too tired for writing reports today. If you give the body back to us I’ll let you go.” She noted, casually flicking her wrist as she made a mock pained expression.

“Unfortunately, I’m asking you where the inmate is because I want answers. Plus, are you sure that the creepy asshole isn’t you? You seem to be spending an awful lot of effort trying to find this lifeless carcass aren’t you?” Harklight’s brows were furrowed as he spoke, what the hell did the martian’s need a corps for? As with everything related to Slaine, things were sure to be complicated.

Lemrina swallowed in an attempt to sooth her dry throat. She was constantly ducking away from foliage as she ran. It’d been who knows how long since the restless running had started, and her legs no longer moved on her command. They were moving off of desperation and muscle memory. One moment of flying thoughts and before she’d known it her feet were ensnarled by a cluster of tree roots. She saw the fall in a series of snap shots as the floor came closer and she landed on her clothed forearms and knees. Breathing in loud, puffing gasps Lemrina rolled to sit on the undergrowth. Now that she was no longer in motion she could literally hear her labored hear beating.

Gulping again, she wobbled to a stand, grateful that she couldn’t feel any indicators of an ankle sprain. Right as she was about to lift her head a wave of alarm knocked on her senses. _Slaine?_ It was faint but she caught on to his presence. _Where?_ The aldnoah factor was giving her pointers that the blond, or specifically his blood, could be sensed.She urgently took a cursory glance at the vicinity, and desperately searched for other leads. _Slaine! Where are you?_

Luckily it was near noon, and daylight made the surrounding environment visually accessible. However, there were no traces of human actions anywhere. The aldnoah factor, which connected her to all her vassals who held her copy of the aldnoah factor, told her he was in front where an assembly of rocks logged in the ground. She couldn’t see him, but perhaps he was crouching?

Step by step she followed her instincts until a splatter of unmistakable red caused her to freeze, feet seemingly glued to the ground. A clenching sensation made her chest tight. _Slaine, what happened? Where are you? Are you safe now?_ She had never been so incredibly relieved and petrified at the same time. He was alive—or he hadn’t been executed—but what did the blood mean?

_What did they do to you Slaine?_

* * *

Inaho handed the familiar necklace back to the blond feeling the engraved design against his palm. “We had to take it off for your X-ray,” he explained. Slaine cupped the memento dearly, letting the trinket dangle as he held it from both ends. He lifted his hands beside his ears only to find that that was about as far as he could reach before his all demanding back would give him hell. Awkwardly, Slaine lowered his hands again, and with a defeated expression he gazed at the necklace instead.

Inaho observed the blond wondering what the boy was so hesitant about; in a minute he remembered that Slaine actually couldn’t get the necklace around his neck. Had he not been under the influence of their newly formed bond, Inaho may not have cared enough. However, at the moment, he just moved naturally, carefully reaching for the necklace in Slaine’s hands. Slaine peered at him, bewildered, and a little shocked. It was the first time that Inaho had done something seemingly without reason _._

What he did next seemed out of character to himself as well. Inaho shifted slightly off of his chair, just enough to reach for Slaine’s neck, he hooked the necklace around the older boy obliviously pulling him closer to his chest. Slaine stared at the brunette while leaning back and away, but Inaho stilled the blond, fingers wrapping lightly around his nape. Seeing that Slaine got the idea, he fumbled around until he felt the clasp lock behind the blond’s neck. Assuming that the brunette was not going to back out of this one either, Slaine internally sighed and let him have his way. The blond didn’t dare to move as he felt soft fingers tickle the skin of his nape. _Kaizuka Inaho was being kind?_ Well this was a first.

Suddenly, reason rushed back to Inaho, which caused his fingers to twitch—they were way too close! He could literally feel the heat rolling off of Slaine’s skin. _Not this again! Stupid Aldnoah vow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be back in another week or two, however don't be alarmed if I take longer than that. I will definitely be back. 
> 
> Happy Halloween guys! See you in a while!


	11. Not What It Used To Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! how was Halloween? 
> 
> I don't really have much to say, so as usual, enjoy the story XD! 
> 
> Oh wait, I did have something to say, So in the last chapter, I made a detrimental typo that Rosiel_AZ very kindly noted me of. In the fifth paragraph, it says, "hair touching included," that was supposed to be "Hair touching excluded." Apologies for the confusion. (If you would like details, I put a A/N up in chapter ten, as well as a fairly in-depth rationale responding to Rosiel's comment. Please feel free to read my response to Rosiel if you would like to.)
> 
> Thanks guys, enjoy!

Red, crimson, reflected his own gaze as if it were staining everything around him with blood. In the younger boy’s lone, wide iris, Slaine saw himself wearing a bemused expression. Inaho, in a moment of agitated realization, had completely frozen in place, trying to re-evaluate his own actions. Had he really just pulled Slaine Troyard up close to affectionately slip a necklace around his neck? This was not a joke, he’d thought it was a onetime thing when he’d reached for the boy’s hair earlier; but here he was doing it again. The moment his grip on behavior loosened, his body proceeded to flaunt whatever obscene attachment it now had towards the blond. Inaho had never felt so utterly betrayed by his own body, he wasn’t even sure it was ever supposed to happen.

Slaine was all and truly weirded out by now, Inaho was acting weird… no _he_ was acting weird. Why wasn’t he trying to whip some sense into the other boy instead of sitting there like a love-struck idiot?

He clenched his teeth together, why were emotions always so hard to deal with? He didn’t want them, these blasted waves of calm that seemed to exude off of the brunette. They put him unnaturally at ease, and the fact that it made him feel so damn good disturbed him to no end. He felt like he was on drugs, and the intoxication was horrifyingly captivating.

Inaho’s hand remained tenderly around Slaine’s neck while they looked into each other’s eyes. He was trapped in the beauty of those gentle expressions, and he knew that the feelings were not his. But he didn’t know where to place them.

“Kaizuka…don’t tell me you…you feel it too?” Slaine’s lips hesitantly moved just inches away from his own, and Inaho was unwittingly distracted as he heard the inquiry. Slaine caught the way that Inaho remained single-mindedly fixated on him and briskly pushed the brunette off while asking again. “Hey, Kaizuka, are you listening? You feel it as well right?” Luckily, brute force seemed enough to do the job because Inaho was now lightly, if he could say so, glaringat him.

Inaho quickly redirected himself, and began to speak as he settled back into his chair. “What do you mean? Feel…what?” His voice was completely calm, but it was the calm that told of a storm to come. Would he have kissed Slaine again—without consent—if the blond hadn’t taken his chance to intervene? The uncertainty scared him horribly. He both did and did not want to know what the answer was; it was very, _very_ likely that he would have, and such a truth was not acceptable.

Slaine eyed the brunette with sickened amusement, “are you seriously saying that petting my head and pulling me into your chest was fully intentional? Don’t you think I already hate you enough?” A soft frown slowly surfaced as Slaine continued to speak. He was trying hard to make this conversation as casual as possible, but the attempt also made his words come out somewhat sarcastically. Even then, It was better than a full on argument. Arguments didn’t get people anywhere; he’d been amongst enough Versain politics to know that for a fact.

Despite the obvious taunt, Inaho replied Slaine with an impassive ease, and a relative amount of sincerity.  “No…I don’t, you have the right to be angry with me. _We_ were the ones who tied the two of us together. _We_ made it so that the Aldnoah vow reaches out to you, through my body.” Above all the contempt that had built up from their strife, Slaine still deserved to have this one. Inaho knew, personally, how frustrating the situation was. He certainly wasn’t enjoying this any more than the blond was—who clearly was _not_ having the time of his life. The way that his brain perceived the other, with a filter of temptation, only served to heighten the agonizing sense of unease. A haze was beginning to smudge the line between his subjective views and those of the chemically fabricated perceptions. He couldn’t tell; _how much longer did he have until the two forces of his mind became not so…two?_   

Slaine pulled a pained smile _, so they were both living this nightmare…_ Well, it was certainly nice to know that mister emotionless was in this with him, _very comforting_ indeed. He only knew so little about the vow, and this odd phenomenon of emulated attachment had never once been mentioned in the lab. However he did have to consider that Inaho and him were a separate enigma in itself.

He didn’t blame Inaho, or any of the four who’d saved him, for the situation that they were in. By this point, he’d already accepted that his life, as always, managed to make a mess of itself. The bond should never have been successful from the start, and perhaps that was why these symptoms were grinding against their wishes. Normally the added attraction would have been welcome, but given the two of them, norm didn’t exactly apply.

Slaine threw a calculating look at the brunette, trying to determine what they were to do next. He certainly was not going to let these cancerous feelings spread any further.

Just as he ventured into the realm of thought, a steady clip of shoes against metal made their way to the other side of the door, on the far side of the room.

* * *

Yagarai watched the second hand on his watch make a jumping motion across the fifteen minute threshold. He was a pretty timely man, and he made no exceptions for the promise that he had one-sidedly pledged to Slaine’s request. Walking up to the infirmary door, he didn’t bother to make himself known to the other side. In the slim chance that some drama was happening right now, calling out his position would be the same as warning an incognito criminal that he was on his back. It was a small precaution to take, but one that he had decided as the safer choice.

Producing a barcoded card in his hand, Yagarai Swiped the identification in a small machine bolted beside the door, admitting himself inside. As he had expected, nothing much had changed since he’d left; Slaine sat in his bed, blankets covering everything under his waist. While Inaho remained at the bedside, elbows resting on his knees as he sat in a chair. They were both looking in his general direction as he pulled the door open. “Fifteen minutes,” he announced, looking at Slaine. “Troyard, how are you doing now?” He continued, as he assessed that the boy was no longer in critical state.

Slaine brought his hands from his laps to the side, feeling less insecure now that they were not alone. The doctor possessed a different type of calming aura—a non-judgmental air. “Better, it’s not hard to breath anymore” he replied, ignoring the residual aching around his body. He didn’t feel amazing at the moment, but he was kind of injured, so it was fine.

Perhaps what was a bit more attention worthy than the hurt of his wounds, was what would happen if the doctor was curious enough to ask him how they had solved his suffocation crisis. He really hoped the man was not info savage enough to ask, he had no idea how to answer him. To be exact, he would not be able to give him the answer.

Inaho was less concerned about Yagarai’s opinion, but the fact that he had even considered what his reply would be, in the case that the Doctor asked, was enough coming from him. Understandably, Yagarai was long accustomed to his unconventional decisions, and breezing on the tail of his battle choices, a mere kiss wasn’t much. It was not to say, however, that he felt it perfectly un-troubling to state that he had just kissed the boy who was his prisoner. Something did not sound right about that. He suddenly felt like wiping his mouth again, it also bothered him that the touch of Slaine’s lips lingered.

Only fifteen minutes since the vow had been created, and Inaho was already expecting to be gone with the whole thing. He knew how childish of a thought that was, but the Aldnoah vow was just so exhausting; he didn’t need the situation to get any worse than it already was.       

“I’m going to check on your lungs just in case, so I need to remove your shirt.” Yagarai told Slaine, walking to the headboard of his bed. When he finished he pulled the ear pieces of his stethoscope up to his ears. “Can I get you to breath in for me?,” he instructed, and Slaine saw no reason not to comply as he took a deep breath of air, holding it there. “Breath out,” Yagarai continued, going on to repeat the same instructions as he repositioned the chest piece on Slaine’s back, collar bone, and rib-cage. All the while, he couldn’t stop his line of site from straying to observe the very unpleasant, yet strangely magnetizing, scars. The bumps and ridges, he could now see, were not limited to the boy’s back. They marred his entire torso, which only made things so much more wrong.

He was, in a way, surprised that Slaine hadn’t resisted having to undress. At his age, vanity usually meant a lot, and by that, he meant a useless amount of lot. This child though, didn’t seem to care weather people judged him or not. Slaine had seen him staring; Yagarai was relatively certain of that, but instead of a scowl or the expected fowl expression; the boy only opened his mouth in a moment of epiphany, he even seemed mildly amused. Slaine had not raised his voice however, and the doctor wondered if that was out of consideration for the stethoscope which required silence.

 “Perfect, you aren’t showing any signs of abnormalities,” Yagarai finished with a professional smile. The quick check had gone far more smoothly than the doctor had expected. In his career, suffocating patients didn’t usually just…stop suffocating on their own accord. He was pretty amazed, to be honest. _What did they do?_

“You should be fine, if you stay in bed for a while. Are there any other problems that you’re feeling?” Yagarai folded the listening apparatus, and placed it in his breast pocket, “Ah, I’m Yagarai Souma by the way. Call me Yagarai-sensei if you’d like to…Slaine Troyard.” He deliberately used the boy’s full name to make it apparent that he knew who the other was. Implying with his words, what his actions did not; he was aware of the other’s current status, and even if he’d saved Slaine, he hadn’t forgiven him of his crimes. That, he wanted to make sure the blond understood.

Slaine got the silent message immediately, and he wasn’t surprised. Nor did he blame the man for it; by the looks of it, Yagarai Souma was an incredibly kind hearted person—someone who would take it twice as hard when there was bloodshed. “I don’t feel anything out of the ordinary,” he reported, “And Yagarai-sensei, thank you…for your care.” Slaine, as well, had a desire to convey that he hadn’t missed the message. He was sorry, and at the least, he didn’t want the doctor to regret saving him. This wasn’t about redemption; he had to adopt responsibility for what he had once done. _He was prepared for the world to scorn him if they wanted to—_ that was what he kept telling himself _._

“You’re welcome, and you don’t need to speak so formally. Can we just speak as friends?” Yagarai, almost immediately wanted to take his last sentence back. Slaine had very clearly tensed when he’d heard his own name—as if he’d just recoiled from physical impact. Deep down, Yagarai was aware; this young adult was just a scapegoat, but the image of the same pale blond declaring war as the feeble T.V. signals jerked side to side, riled him. He hated that things were always so complicated, hated that he had given-in to the temptation of blaming this teen.

Slaine’s facial features went from sorrowful to taken aback as he fully took in the doctor’s request, “Friends? You, do notice that I—“

“I know Slaine, but I don’t hate you, at least not yet. And if you want to keep it that way, you better stop talking as if we’re enimies,” Yagarai joked. They _were_ enemies, but Yagarai knew it was an uncharitable relationship if Slaine was going to be under his care. He didn’t want the blond to feel oppressed when he didn’t have to be.

Slaine was figuratively shell shocked so Yagarai decided to help lead him into the flow. “Here, I have a couple of questions for you, so answer them as if we’re friends. Of course you don’t need to answer me if you don’t want to.”

Inaho stood by the side, quietly observing Slaine, and mentally brushing over ways to muffle his unwarranted fondness of the blond. Unfortunately, he had yet to land on a resolution to the problem. This whole thing had no logic; it had happened as a miracle and miracles were just that—something capable of bending the rules of the universe to bring about a positive result. Inaho wasn’t so sure that the last part of this definition was truly correct, but he let it slip. What was important, rather problematic, was the fact that it was so totally groundless that he had no way to solve the conundrum like he usually would.

Slaine’s eyes widened just slightly, he had not been prepared for the acceptance, but it was such a precious statement to him--that the doctor didn't scorn him, as he'd thought.

“Can I ask you how you managed to stop the pneumonic failure just now?”

Instantly the reassurance that Slaine was feeling drained away and mortified panic flooded his being. “I umm, we…” _How did one say this?_ He wanted to give the man an answer, but he didn’t know how to piece his words together. He flashed a gaze at Inaho silently pleading for help, as well as asking for permission to disclose their little affair. What he got was something even more bashful than he had expected.

Inaho, looked down at Slaine with his usual blank expression. He then placed his hand lightly on the doctor’s shoulder to call for his attention. “Sensei, I kissed him.” Yagarai responded with an expression just as vacant as Inaho’s own, telling Inaho that he didn’t quite comprehend what he had just said.

“You what?” Yagarai said apprehensively. _Well this was sudden,_ what did that have to do with anything? Was it a joke? He thought it was possibly a coded message. 

“I kissed him, it was because of the aldnoah vow. You can ask Troyard for the details,” Inaho directed. Not really confident in delving into a topic that he was not well versed in. Slaine was blushing like a mad man now. How, for dear life, had Inaho gotten the notion that throwing the words straight in the doctor face was a good idea? Was the emotionless blockhead actually apathetic, or was he just an idiot?

“I’m sorry, I don’t quite get what you meant? Do you mind giving me the details Slaine?” Yagarai turned to Slaine in hopes of a more coherent conversation. He was really starting to feel like he’d been trapped in a skit that the two had set up. If that was true through, he had no way of explaining how Slaine managed to fake his blushing to this degree. The blond seemed about ready to let the bed cave in on him.

Hesitantly Slaine gathered his bearings and began to explain, in a somewhat professional manner, the same way that he had told Inaho. “Lemrina-hime told you about the flower right?” Yagarai inclined his head, full attention on the blond, “Well, it isn’t exactly something that is meant for medical purposes. It’s called an Aldnoah vow, and I think you can tell by the name itself that it’s something a bit more intimate. I’ll explain in detail later, but it required that Kaizuka and I have some sort of lip to lip contact to complete the vow. Otherwise, I would be forever blitzed between the two different copies of Aldnoah. As of completion of the vow, Kaizuka and I are now bonded together.”

It was a lot of information to absorb, and Yagarai took a minute to completely compute the meaning of those words. He furrowed his brows, “You mean that it was primarily meant for matrimonial purposes?”

“Yes, we believe it was a ritual for lovers to swear allegiance towards each other. In other words, it’s something like the ring for a marriage, and it shouldn’t have worked for us, since we don’t share any love for the Aldnoah to accept.” _Let alone affection_ , Slaine trailed off in his thoughts.

“I see, is there…possibly a way to revoke the vow?” Yagarai asked just to be certain. He understood that he held a large portion of the responsibility for this whole issue, and he tried especially hard not to over react. If he could, he would help to fix it.

Slaine looked at the man apologetically, “There were three specimens in the lab, and none of them had ever broken. All six participants are presumably still together.” Slaine felt a slight gloom as he remembered that wasn’t true, “Actually one of them, count Sazzbaum and countess Orlane’s vow, had been broken from the start. Count Saazbaum had somehow preserved their flower and gave it to us after countess Orlane passed away.” Slaine had a moment of revitalized dread, “death, is the only known way.”

“So it’s pretty much game over huh?” Yagarai quipped lightly, ready to jump trains from this topic to another. “Are you cold?” He suddenly asked, rolling over to the benches and choosing a white-blue patterned, side tie patient gown. He let the blond pop his arm in the sleeves, and helped him redress himself.

Inaho, was sitting beside Yagarai with his tablet in his hands. He flicked one of the pages out of the list as he finished scanning its contents. They were all basically useless towards his cause, most of which were fabricated articles on the “spirituality of true love” or something cheesy of the kind, all things he did not care about. Hopeless, was a very reflective term for his current predicament.

Yagarai decided to ask his second question of the day as he tied neat bows on the gown that Slaine was wearing. “You don’t need to answer this if it troubles you, but do you mind if I ask you about those scars?” They frankly bothered him, a lot, and it wasn’t the appearance that he was displeased by; it was the fact that Slaine, at such a young age, carried a collection of distinctive scaring. He could only imagine what it must have done to him mentally. Not to mention that the adolescent age was a very susceptible time frame for psychological impairment.  

At this, Inaho’s attention was also caught, and he settled his tablet on his laps to listen. It had troubled him immensely when he’d first saw the laceration around Slaine’s body. They gave him the gut feeling that shooting the blond down in Tanegashima had been a mistake; It made him question the roots of his hate for the other. What was it eactly that made him see Slaine Troyard as an enemy? 

Slaine, again, didn’t know how to start. It wasn’t really anything to hide, but he would never give anyone the full story unless he trusted that person with his life. On the surface, his scars were just an unfortunate story, but for him it was associated with a lifetime of deep rooted feelings. Vulnerability was so strongly infested in the memory that he didn’t know how to detach those feeling from his recount.

Slaine had become completely internalized the moment that Yagarai had finished his question. The Doctor was starting to fear that he had crossed a line that he was not supposed to. It was a sensitive topic, and he really hoped he hadn’t rekindled any traumatic memories for the blond. “Never mind I said anything Slaine, I wasn’t being very considerate was I?”

Fazing back to reality, Slaine turned blankly to look at the doctor, “Oh, um, it’s fine. I was just trying to figure out where to start. It’s perfectly normal want to know, now that you’ve seen them.” A moment of silence fell as he pulled his words into place, “How should I say this. The Versains…were not the most civilized of people? I kind of messed something big up, and set the count on my back. He was a very traditional man, so he preferred traditional ways of doing things.”

Yagarai, and Inaho, were sure that there were a lot of things that Slaine hadn’t told them. As well as a bunch of others that he’d glossed over, carefully wording his language. They didn’t dig any further, however, aware that Slaine was being incredibly generous by giving them anything at all. It was an admirable amount of stability that the blond was showing them. Talking about trauma like it was a thing of the past was not an easy feat. It had taken Yagarai weeks to get Marito to open up to him. This young man, despite his timid personality, had walked past the gates of hell, and made it to the other side. Yagarai could tell.

Inaho’s impression of the blond maybe improved by a millimeter, he found it commendable that Slaine hadn’t blamed his captor, nor did he feel sorry for himself. Inaho hadn’t had the best of childhoods, so he understood how easy it was to succumb to self-pity. But those kinds of thoughts were self-destructive, even if it was indeed life that had gotten one caught up in the mess.

“Thank you, for sharing such a personal thing with us.” Yagarai made a genuine token of appreciation, and then hardened his voice, “Slaine, are you…okay?”

It was a short and imprecise inquiry but Slaine got that the doctor was asking if he had any symptomes of PTSD. He honestly didn’t know; he did have nightmares and flashbacks from time to time, but they weren’t anything that he wasn’t already used to. He reckoned that even if he did have the disorder, it was a mild case. All in all he was doing fine in that respect, and it was enough that Yagarai cared, even if the man wasn’t fond of him.

Slaine opened his mouth to reply, but just as he was about to speak, the door flung violently open. On the other side, a very aggressive Yuki almost tumbled in, “Nao-kun!” She hollered breathlessly, “they’re after him!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmmmm, what to say, I don't have anything to say today. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Again, another week or two for chapter twelve (I've got quite the work load at the moment so wish me luck!)


	12. Dawning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI guys! so it's been another two weeks!   
> This chapter was quite the challenge to write. Many things have been explained, and many others remain clouded with confusion. (Don't worry I haven't forgotten them. Your crazy author is just stretching the revealing so that you guys don't get overcrowded XD) I really hope you enjoy this completely confusing chapter! Actually don't be confused. If you are, just send me a message/comment and I will explain/ mod the chapter so that things are easier to understand. 
> 
> Thanks guys! enjoy!

“Asseylum-san told me to keep you safe”

“She… Why now?”

“She’s currentl—“

“Inaho-san! Now is not the ti—“

Slaine shot his hand to the table in front of Eddelittuo flashing a gentle, appreciative expression her way. “Thank you, Eddelitto-san.” He looked onwards, eyes searching for the answer that he knew he would regret. Inaho held the blond’s steely eyed gaze for a moment.

“Asseylum-Verse-Allusia has been terminally ill for the past week. It was confirmed that she had been poisoned by someone.” Inaho was aware of the terrible role that he was playing by blatantly revealing the facts like this, but they didn’t have time to gradually stretch the shock. Besides, Slaine would hardly appreciate being treated as a delicate child. The blond was probably used to receiving less than average amounts of subtlety. 

Slaine said nothing, but slowly, his fingers curled into a fist on the table. He drew a steady breath of air, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Have they found the antidote?” The gist of Inaho’s reply had already made it to him before the brunette answered; it was a damning anticipation.

“They’ve been trying for weeks, but results have all come up negative. We… don’t even know what it is.” A rock weighed heavily in Inaho’s chest. As it was now, he basically could do nothing but tell Slaine that she was on the verge of death. Progress on the cure was virtually nonexistent; yesterday’s findings were today’s failures. Not as much as a jot, whit, or iota of this frighteningly innovative blight had been traced. The sinister part was that one short month was enough for the toxins to reap her of the energy to stand, who knew what it would do when the second month rolled idly by.

Slaine lowered his gaze, peering darkly at the table as mind clouding grief sprouted in his conscience. It was a foolish attempt, but regardless he tried to find a solution; there wasn’t anything to loose anyway. Deep in thought he realized one possibility that the empress’ elite medical team might not have known to consider.  “Thereis one way, isn’t there?” It ripped the life out of Slaine to know that this was all that they were left with, but he knew that they had a chance. “Kaizuka, this thing that we have, Klaincain could…with her, and…” The words caught in his throat, gathering into a jumbled mess that made his voice want to crack.

 … _And she will forever be his._ He’d only realized the implications of having the empress make a vow as he spoke, and suddenly it was all too much.After so many years of chasing her back —stretching his hand out to reach the light—he had to let go, and he simply could not. Honestly, Slaine had never thought that the dream was real to begin with. It wasn’t so hard to tell that she would never be his—could never be his, yet knowing the truth was different from having to confirm it with finality. If he valued her life in anyway tonight— _how could he not_ —ignorance was no longer a choice; they would have to tell Klancain to eternally accept her as his own. Even if the two of them lacked the crucial component of love, it didn’t matter.  

Subconsciously, Inaho did not like where this conversation was going; it was a double sided blade that they would be giving the empress. To cure her in the way that they had salvaged Slaine was to use the vow in a way that it was not meant to be used.

Deep within, other more subjective things made the brunette want to veto this tactic instinctively, but he stubbornly denied his personal feelings any voice to opinionate. Nevertheless the thought of forcefully having her commit to a partner was vexing. He just didn’t like it, and luckily he had also noticed that something else stood firmly against the vow. “What if she doesn’t love him,” he mentioned.

Slaine visibly recoiled from hearing the very words that he had ruthlessly smothered before they slipped past his lips, and burnt his tongue. He had cruelly chosen to lock that hopeful doubt within his heart, yet Kaizuka’s sentence was like a hammer to his fragile efforts—the brunette said it so easily. He made seem as if the selfish want to keep her unbound was a possibility.

“Does that matter? If we don’t do something…anything, we risk losing her, and love is what you care about?” The viscous distaste in Slaine’s voice was not solely meant for Inaho; it was targeted towards himself. He was furiously disgusted with himself because unlike what his words said, he wanted so badly to latch on to the excuse of ethics and true love. The urge to oppose the Empress’ and Klaincain’s bond manifested regardless of the suffering, and eventual death, that he knew she would face without help. Slaine questioned his morality for even wishing that he could deny her incurable body of the vow. He felt so unforgivably twisted.

Inaho took in Slaine’s reaction for a bit, and at the same time allowed the blond have a moment; the other’s sudden temper had risen unforeseen out of the anguished expression that he had worn just a second ago. “Troyard, I meant that the vow won’t form if they don’t love each other. Our situation is an exception.”

Shocked humiliation checked harshly on Slaine’s already crushed emotions. It occurred to him that Inaho had not spoken out of personal attachment; the blond could not believe that he had missed such a fundamental error. Slaine had impetuously assumed that Inaho was feeling the same kind of anguish as he was, and thinking about it now, he wasn’t sure why he’d so clearly thought that the other shared his faults. A clenching ache shook his core as a silent, single sided sense of betrayal clipped viciously in his head. In that moment, he was reminded of how Inaho was not like him— _was not despicable enough to consider leaving the princess to die for his own interests._

Yuki and Eddelittuo were scrambling to pick up pieces of information as Inaho and Slaine dropped them in their conversation. Yuki managed to make out something about love and a vow? There was a strong sense of unease, and she was hopeful that it was a fault of the ear, but what was this repeated implication of Slaine and her brother having some…bond? How had a conversation about the military going after Slaine turned into a fight over…over whatever fairytale they were now talking about?

Ten minutes prior, Yuki and Eddelittuo had been nibbling at their food when the telltale vibration of the warrant officer’s breast pocket graciously broke the silence. Swiftly wiping her mouth with a paper towel, Yuki flipped the device out and glanced at the caller ID, “Lt. Marito.” She amusedly wondered if the lieutenant was drunk dialing again; today was her break. Quirking an eyebrow up, she received the call anyway. “Hello? Warrant Officer Kaizuka speaking.”

“Ah, officer Kaizuka? Where are you right now?” Although rough and jarring through the phone, Marito’s voice was not the least bit slurred as it more often than not would be. His somber used gravitated speech patterns set off a couple of internal alarms; it meant that whatever the call was for, it was most likely not going to be about finding a lonely cat on the road, and wondering if he should pick it home.

Yuki mused for a second trying to determine if telling him where she actually was, was a good idea. It probably wasn’t, “Well, I’m not at home right now. Is something up?”

“Yeah, well, kind of. The Vice Admiral is at my house; anyway…you don’t happen to be near the base do you?” Yuki frowned at this, “A prison break apparently happened near your location.” She cursed under her breath. There was a moment of crackling, shuffling noises as the phone seemed to be hastily pitched to another person.

“Warrant Officer Kaizuka, we need to know if you’ve seen anything regarding the escapee. You were stationed near a mansion-like building yesterday night, correct?” The person on the other side had a course, gritty kind of voice. His pacing reflected the obvious authority that was strapped to his status.

Yuki was hesitant to give the man an answer, “…yes?”

“Where are you right now?”

 _It was around twelve thirty, so she should be having lunch_. “I’m heading to café-koya for lunch,” she said. Yuki conversed with ostensible ease, but inside she was preparing to fling into action as soon as this call was over.  Cold sweat racked her body from the core radiating outwards. She had chosen a café that intersected her position and Marito’s house leaning maybe a couple of kilometers closer to her. It was the best possible site if the Vice Admiral was requesting her audience; the hinting in his speech had been plenty clear as to where his intentions laid.

“Be there no later than one thirty,” His voice abruptly instructed and then a recorded beep sentenced the end of the call. Yuki didn’t wait a second before signaling for Eddelittuo to follow her and dashing towards the clinic. She knew that Slaine must have been under high surveillance, but the military still reacted far more rapidly than she had anticipated. Not to mention that the Vice Admiral himself was after Slaine; did they really need to push it that far? It was like a tractor barreling after a mouse.

After Yuki barged her way into the clinic, she provided a laconic explanation to the rest of the group. Slaine had insisted on relocating to the table so they could graphically organize their thoughts. They were reluctant to allow him off the bed, but the truth was: Slaine held the breadth of the information on their situation.

Starting with Yuki, one by one, her, Inaho, and Eddelittuo had made a speedy summary of what they were aware of in regards to the situation. Yuki began from the point that Marito had received orders to guard the military base which was for one reason or another, apparently, in high risk of attack. She had been instructed by Marito to survey what was basically the vicinity of the mansion-prison. for her, this was what had started it all: chancing upon Slaine, giving him food, car blowing to pieces, passing out, waking up, truly seeing Slaine for the first time, and finally calling, and meeting Inaho.

From that point on Inaho had taken over revealing that he too was relatively fresh to these events. Two days ago, Eddelittuo had called him for the first time in maybe nine months. They had promptly met up, whereby the unfortunate news about Asseylum solemnly made its debut. However that wasn’t the important part of why Eddelittuo had him summoned in person. The young ambassador had explained that the Empress was worried about Slaine, and that Earth had promised her his safety. Inaho, at the time, had agreed with this as he’d been informed of the blond’s relocation one week ago. They’d told him that Slaine would be moved to a safer location along with the rest of the evacuation.     

The Empress, however, had been skeptical of earth’s honesty. Eddelittuo had expressed that Asseylum continued to feel some form of perpetual unease even after the reassurance from earth. It was precisely the reason why the young ambassador had come bearing a request. She was entrusted with the task of asking Inaho to keep Slaine safe. The Empress was in the condition that she was in, Slaine’s safety was no longer stable. Asseylum had sought to secure his position personally, through her most trusted friend on earth.

Inaho explained that he had taken her warning, and the day after he’d essentially hacked the military archives and eradicated Slaine from existence. Since they hadn’t any clue who might come hunting the blond, Inaho opted to make it so that no one discovered the other to begin with. Unfortunately, as if to spite him, that very night as he went to join his sister and visit the prison intending to destroy the last of Slaine’s records, Yuki’s call from hell brought him before the blond in person.

Yagarai sat chin resting on his hand as he wordlessly soaked up all the information.  Having been ambushed in his sleep by inaho’s call, he was the only one devoid of prior knowledge for this sequence of events. Solving the problem wasn’t something that cared about —that was not his part to cover—but it was appalling to witness the full extent of what had covertly started long before today; it wasn’t just a matter of Slaine being attacked. The tensions between Verse and Earth were pulling taught under the skin of peace, and not a single civilian was aware of this freakishly real threat.

Yuki and Eddelttuo now sat curious audience to Slaine and Inaho’s discussion of the antidote for the Empress’ condition. In his little recap earlier, Inaho had skillfully maneuvered around revealing Asseylum’s sickly health. Unfortunately it was something that had not went unnoticed by the blond, Slaine was far too attentive for anyone to mislead him. He’d immediately asked for clarification from Inaho, questioning specifically what the empress had asked for. From then on, an increasingly incomprehensive exchange of words commenced, leaving everyone but the two boys out of the dialogue.

Finally, Slaine was leaving a moment unspoken, and Yuki knew that she had to redirect the conversation. “I understand Asseylum-san is important to you two, but we need to figure out what we’re doing now first. If we don’t make it out of today, we won’t be making it to the empress.”

Inaho’s eyes widen just slightly, eyebrows lifting by a millimeter. He’d been lead into the conversation with Slaine so seamlessly that he’d lost track of their original goal. It was maybe the first time that he had unintentionally diverted in a tactical conference. Slaine Troyard, what a fearsome quality to hold.

The blond, on the other hand seemed much more self-aware. His melancholic demeanor mixed curiously with a certain shade of apology.

“There isn’t much time, so I’ll get straight to the point. Yagarai sensei needs to get away from us; you’re the only one that they don’t know is involved. I’ll be gone meeting that bastard Hakkinen so Eddelittuo, Troyard and Nao, you need to find a place to hide. The military knows that we are here, timing was too obvious.” It wasn’t a certainty, but those war dogs would figure it out if they hadn’t already. There weren’t many places that one could take an international criminal, and an anonymous count seeking for refuge on the night of Slaine Saazbaum Troyard’s escape? They would be idiots if that didn’t raise red flags. Yuki hoped that they were idiots.

Inaho rose out of his seat to peer out of the window. Touching the cool glass with his fingers he seemed to be observing something. “No, Troyard and me will be moving alone,” he voiced. Slaine who sat both elbows grounding weight on the table gave him an inquisitive, unbelieving look. Not this again. The brunette was running off on his own deciding things without his consent.

“Why?” he asked. Inaho had a tendency to just do things without explanation, and that struck his nerves. It was almost as if the brunette didn’t believe in the input that his comrades could give, and that bothered him. The brunette had a group of great people around him, they deserved an explanation.

“As long as they don’t have definitive proof that Eddelittuo-san was a part of this, they can’t push her into a position of disadvantage. She’s a difficult individual for the UFE since verse would take it personally if she is accused without evidence. That’s why we can’t let her been seen around you. Eddelittuo-san is our only safe connection with Verse. We would lose communication with the Empress.”

Eddelittuo got out of her chair as well, planting her hands on the table. “Inaho-san what about you? The military doesn’t suspect you at all do they?”

“They don’t, but they will eventually. They’ve been keeping me on tight watch since the beginning of Troyard’s incarceration.” The top brass had always searched for a way to strip him of his role in Slaine’s imprisonment. They wanted a way to completely control the blond—to use him as a card against Asseylum. To them, Inaho was Slaine’s guard dog stationed there by the Empress. He held the right to pass and revoke any treatment regarding the blond.

Eddelittuo appeared slightly angered by this, clasping her hands together. “And that’s why I don’t like those guys.” She seemed to be contemplating her next words, playing with her lower lip, “Inaho-san…use my car, I’ll go with Yagarai sensei.” It was hard, _really hard_ , to leave the two of them on their own. She’d finally gotten the chance to see Slaine again. If she left here, it also meant that she would have no contact with them for at least a month. What if they don’t make it?

“Please be safe, Slaine-sama too. We’ve only just reunited…” Her eyes were all prickly from behind, vision blurring with a warm, coaxing heat. As she handed her keys to Inaho, they exchanged a solid look of trust. “Sensei-we should get going.”

Slaine couldn’t reply to Eddelittuo’s wishes, it suddenly hit him with so much force; he had wanted to die—still wanted it to end—but it hurt. His heart clenched as if it was being squeezed sore. If he had killed himself—were to kill himself—would she be let down? Would she cry when she’d found out? would she never be told, and instead be left hanging? Would she forget?

He clung feebly to his father’s pendent, hair falling in front of his eyes as he made an expression that no one could see.

Inaho, in that moment, felt a fleeting ache at his wrist, like it yearned for him to be somewhere. It was the feeling of a hollow void longing to be filled with soft, glowing light. When he turned to gaze at Slaine, the blond had already lifted his head to watch Eddelittuo’s departure.

“Slaine, I generally wouldn’t be allowing you to walk right now, but times are times. Don’t push it alright. Take breaks when you need them.” The doctor scrambled around the cupboards looking for the bottle of pain killers, “use these when you need to,” He instructed, handing the bottle to the blond. He also collected the almost empty bag of Inaho’s blood and all the blood samples around the room before taking his leave.

Yuki got up from her chair, “I guess I should head out too. Naoh-kun, don’t do anything crazy, and I’ll call you when I’m done, with a payphone.” It was better to be cautious of mobile tracking.

“Thank you Yuki-nee, be safe too.” Yuki was heading straight into the opposing territory, so if anything, it was her that should be careful.”

Now it was only the two of them, Inaho paced over to Slaine, “We’re going out as well,” he told the blond. Slaine was wearing one thin layer of patient gown, and that was hardly enough for the weather. Walking to the bed Inaho gathered the blanket into a bunch and shrugged out of his jacket. “Here,” he handed the blue cardigan to the other. Slaine received his actions with a bewildered, wide eyed stare. “You’re going to want to wear this, it’s cold outside. You’re wound needs more than just gauze and a thin layer of fabric.”

Slaine continued to look at Inaho for a while, he then reluctantly accepted the Jacket from the other. “Yuki-san and you are surprisingly similar,” he murmured, remembering how Yuki had also offered him a jacket when they met.

It was Inaho’s turn to stare blankly. He didn’t really understand what the blond was talking about, but it didn’t really matter as long as Slaine wasn’t making a fuss.

To his discomfort, Slaine found the warmth of Inaho’s cardigan extremely soothing. He almost wanted to hug into it, but he’d take death over such an undignified gesture. _It’s the vow_ –he reminded himself, trying to shake free of the disconcerting urges.

With the click of a switch, the lights in the clinic turned abruptly off. Inaho lit the path ahead with his phone in one hand, grasping onto Slaine’s waist with his other. The blond was still far to famished and generally weak to walk for much on his own. Slowly, the two boys hobbled steadily towards the exit of the battle ship.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooooooow, Inaho Slaine time commence! Anyone else super excited? 
> 
> Again, another one to two weeks for the next chapter, thanks for reading and enjoying this story. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, and I'll see you guys in a bit!


	13. Let It Call From Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm very glad to be back! 
> 
> For this chapter, keep in mind that Inaho really is not in full alertness. He's been deprived severely of legitimate rest. Allow him some slack for his lack of sensitivity. Likewise, understand that Slaine is also fatigued, and additionally in a lot of pain. The poor boy has been subjected to a great deal of big, unpleasant reveals one after the other following Yuki's crash into his cell. His mental state really is kinda screwed. 
> 
> Otherwise, please enjoy this chapter, as you very well deserve it after such a long wait.

Slaine was standing arched over the trunk of the car, support arms trembling, head hung over his shoulders. Inaho, beside him, caught his breath feeling a certain tone of worry for the blond that was questionable as to where its roots resided.

“We should get inside, it’s cold out here,” the brunette shivered, pulling the blanket that he had wrapped around himself tighter. It was hard to stay in one place for too long when the icy weather managed to slip itself under his garments with its lovely accomplice, the wind. The sky around them shone a frosty shade of blue, enough to tell of the sun, but not enough to actually feel its warming rays. Off in the distance, a deep, rich navy sea stretched far into the horizon meeting with the white of the scattered clouds above. One wobbly line of light lay vividly on the calm waters, drawing a shimmering path to nowhere the human eye was able to follow.

The breeze continued to tickle the ends of his umber hair as Inaho turned the key to unlock Eddelittuo’s royal blue station wagon. Strictly speaking, the young, 15 year old girl should not have been on the road for another couple of months, but a few exceptions placed her ahead of civilians. There were certainly perks to the title that she was given.

Slaine lifted his head up, intentionally stalling his response. The fresh air frosting his lungs and frigid concrete beneath his feet felt like another lifetime. He raised his bare toes, protecting them from the biting cold and took one last, long glimpse at the world around him before closing his eyes and burning the snapshot into a brilliant memory.

Again a dull ache at his wrist made Inaho rub at it passively. It didn’t pull exactly as it did the last time; instead the echo of a bitter sweet farewell caught him off guard. This time, he saw the blond: head tipped back, eyes closed with a serene remembrance cast upon his features, expression almost grateful. Slaine melded with the mellow backdrop handsomely; his pale skin, made paler by years of neglect, seeming to glow in the light of the day. Inaho had the decency to allow the blond to ready himself instead of shoving the other into the car as his agitated impatience instructed him to do. _God it was cold._

Finally, Slaine seemed to solidify his resolve, reaching one hand weakly over to Inaho. He knew there was no point in being stubborn and trying to walk on his own. He’d reached his limit long ago, and it would be a lie if he said the vertigo wasn’t like a mad circus in his head. Inaho took the signal and pulled the blond’s waist into his own while letting the other’s arm lay around his neck. “You ready?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Slaine mumbled briskly, leaning back onto himself and the younger boy beside him. It took them a while to maneuver the blond into a comfortable position once in the car. He ultimately had his arms crossed, nestling his head on the headboard so that his back was free of pressure. Unfortunately the same position also stressed his oblique muscles uncomfortably, laying over the rounded front of the car. Before Inaho closed the door, they swapped blanket and cardigan freeing Slaine of the tight fit that restricted arm movement.

Inaho’s gaze flickered to Slaine as he awoke the engine of the car. Curiosity made him ask a question that might have been better left undisturbed. “Just now, when you said farewell, was that goodbye to…the sky?” He immediately kicked himself after questioning it. It was none of his prying business weather or not the blond thought that he would encounter the outdoors again.

Slaine whipped his head over to stare at Inaho, the sudden movement making him grip tightly onto his seat in an attempt to ground the pain and disorientation. “You, how?” His eyes were haunted with apprehension. Suddenly, he could almost feel an invisible force absently probing around in his thoughts, and in truth he wasn’t at all off the mark.

Inaho craned his head over his left shoulder, and then over to the right, gradually backing out of the parking space. “Now you’re scared,” he blandly noted, “I can feel a tugging where Yagarai sensei drew my blood, every time you have feelings leaning on the strong side.” Inaho was in all honesty ready to make a jump for the bed right now. A couple of hours rest was apparently not enough to heal one day’s worth of stress. He really wasn’t paying enough attention to Slaine’s very much taxed mental stability; in fact he wasn’t paying attention to anything. His leaded conscience was only alert enough for one goal, and that was to get them miles away from here without accidentally securing them both tickets to the afterlife.

A shiver crept lightly down Slaine’s back as he forced his unwarned body to grapple urgently for the door. How the hell did Inaho happen to know that he had been bidding farewell? Yes, he had said goodbye. He wasn’t an idiot, and it was no big jig saw puzzle that he was heading back to life in some kind of cage. The freaking military wanted his head, outdoors was like their back lawn. This was not a fair game of hide and seek; it was more correctly hide and— _oh hello there, that’s a cute attempt, but I see your tail, better run while I can’t bother to go after you because lunch is more important at the moment_. The military could snatch him by the rear anytime.

Slaine recognized the rapid influx of unexplained dread, and he knew he had to getaway from the brunette _._ The longer he stayed in the car, the stronger the feeling that something would spill out of him suffocated his reasoning. He could no longer see the gravel slowly start to disappear under the hood of the vehicle, or feel the velvet of his seat. He could not hear the engine’s smooth exhaust; he just needed to get away, as far as he could from Inaho—from whatever ungodly power had…no, _was still,_ reaching into his mind.

“Stop the car,” he stammered, “I need to get out of here.” Slaine would bet a thousand that he was overreacting, Kaizuka hadn’t actually done anything threatening, yet he felt so irked…so sick. He just couldn’t control his head from wanting to ram itself at the door, or stop the tremors from controlling his hands. All at once, it was as if the earth was forcing him into the ground, while the sky was sucking him upwards and the air around wanted to contain him in one position. The obviously fake, yet very real perception of danger was freaking him out. This feeling of sudden, unchecked confusion, it was no stranger; this was insanity, the thing that had possessed him when he’d taken Inaho’s eye. Never again did he want to go through that, _ever_.

Slaine made the mistake of looking up for one second and catching the quiet red gaze which looked straight back at him. His chest started to heave, hands clamming up. Clamping his mouth shut, the blond willed the tight coil in his diaphragm to loosen enough for him to not start throwing up immediately. The fact that there was currently nothing in his stomach to spew perhaps helped.  

Inaho’s thought process was uncharacteristically taking a stroll as he hazily pulled over, hearing the blond succeed in releasing the lock of his door. Without notice a heavy jolt at his wrist jerked him minimally back to his senses, and Inaho instantly shoved one hand over to Slaine’s wrist which was settled above the buckle of his seatbelt.

“Where are you going,” he asked, finally turning his full attention to the blond, seeing clearly for the first time the other’s insecure, almost possessed, behavior. _Shoot,_ now was really not a good time for the Slaine’s emotional dam to break. Minus the incoming military, they still had to find a way to cover up Eddelittuo’s license plate, otherwise the purpose of having her move independently would have been for naught. If they were left without another choice, it could mean that the car had to be ditched as soon as public transport was available, which ultimately translated to less time for them to run from pursuers. Slaine truly didn’t have a minute to start freaking at the moment.

Inaho leaned tentatively over the mid divide of the car grasping for Slaine’s shoulder. He trapped the other boy firmly in his seat, first eliminating the possibility of a fleeing blond. Slaine gulped, pushing the wretched madness back down his throat. But regardless, the heady cocktail of anxiety, dread, and panic rendered him jittery. The brunette was looking up at him, and Slaine had to turn away. Those eyes, continued to haunt him even if only one of them locked with his own currently. He peered down watching Inaho’s lips as an alternative. “Let me go,” the he uttered.

Inaho considered the other’s condition, and he more or less understood what Slaine was going through; it was a panic attack. “Calm down, you’re doing fine,” he soothed and then loosened his grip noticeably, trying further to coax the other out of his edginess. Slaine only heard the message marginally as he continued to conjure a method of escape, unable to fully bar his involuntarily reeling brain. With his free hand, the blond shoved the other solidly away from himself completely ignoring the added pressure against his back. A tiny grunt brushed out of his lips as the force in his arm pushed hard enough to slide him in the opposite direction, the velvet of his seat chaffing his wound.

Inaho immediately hooked his hand around Slaines shoulder pulling him off of the backrest; it left them in a very odd looking half hug. He was stretched diagonal to reach the far side of Slaine, torso twisted considerably. In addition, Inaho's seatbelt was completely neglected, strapped around his ribcage, allowing him to almost hang in position. Slaine had one hand still in Inaho’s grasp while the other was planted against the brunette’s chest, vestige to his earlier attempt at freeing himself. With his chin rested on the other’s shoulder, he could no longer see Inaho’s eyes, and it calmed him to some degree. Teeth still grit together, Slaine tried a shallow breath as the initial shock of sharp pain withered to bearable amounts.

His turbulence disrupted momentarily by the physical torment, Slaine fought for the upper hand in his own reasoning. He stayed frozen still, and Inaho was actually kind of trapped under his unmoving body above. The cornered boy found that it wasn’t as bothersome a position as he’d thought. On the contrary, it was alleviating to finally feel the bugged pulsing at his wrist fade. Animosity aside, he absurdly found that he liked having the other in his arms. It was a moment of calm and he really, really, needed that right now; except he knew with certainty that Slaine wasn’t about to appreciate him clinging like a sloth. As he gently grasped onto the other’s biceps, Inaho carefully began to detach himself.

Slaine had his eyes closed as he finally started to note the quiet serenity around him again. He panicked as he became aware of Inaho trying to dislodge himself from the embrace. Instinctively Slaine reached for the other’s back with both hands, fingers holding him in place. “No, don’t look up yet, not yet,” he begged. The fact that he was actively hugging the brunette didn’t even register as Slaine focused all of his efforts toward not getting a relapse. He was justifiably certain that the sight of Inaho’s eye would cause one.

Inaho stopped, hearing the urgency in Slaine’s voice. He settled back into the crook of the blond’s neck while greeted with a generous amount of hair in his face. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he wasn’t in favor of disrupting Slaine’s concentration and so he settled to turn slightly to the side so breathing was at least possible.

There they stayed for a while, clinging awkwardly to each other, both with their own set of reasons. Slaine spent the moment calming his pulse, as he slowly drew his chin closer to his chest. He wouldn’t call it such, but he was basically nuzzling lightly at the brunette’s neck. Inaho continued to wear his perfectly impassive expression, but when he felt the blond start to burrow, he carefully turned slightly to face the other. It wasn’t enough to actually see Slaine as a barrier of very ruffled chestnut and pale blond hair stood in his way. However Inaho found that he had better access to the blond’s attention while turned to him.

“We need to get going,” Inaho instructed. He wasn’t about to forget that they still had other, more imminent things to get through. Slaine’s fingers grasped tighter for one second before letting go. He turned to the side, keeping the game of avoiding eye contact, and leaned wordlessly back into his seat. Inaho then waddled with his hands back onto his side of the car, settling once more into comfort. Twisting the keys, he restarted the engine thrusting his foot onto the accelerator.

Minutes later, they were off on the road, sun unbearably beaming straight ahead. Inaho caught himself moments before his head sagged into the steering wheel, the blinding rays were really not helping with his drowsiness. He took a quick glance to the side; Slaine was completely dozed off, blanket pulled around his shoulders, arms crossed in front. The blond was most definitely completely exhausted; he’d been thrown into this loop of craziness by the early bird deal—one week before everyone else had. Regardless the half asleep driver was not taking any chances.

“Troyard, you awake?” Inaho was going to require some company for the rest of this ride, “I need you to keep me up.” It was really weird for him to speak to the other without any malicious intent in his voice. Up to now they’d only spoken like this out of absolute necessity, but he supposed all things took getting used to. Considering their antagonism wasn’t just some mere pastime--they had sincerely sought for each other’s life at one point. It only made perfect sense that natural chatter didn’t exist for them.

Slaine was neither lucid enough to care, nor disruptive enough to spite the brunette just because he could. He blocked the enmity out for the moment. The constant wariness tired him, honestly, and he hadn’t chosen to have to hate the other like he did. Feelings were never one for him to command. Slaine pushed up rubbing his nose and eyes, “has anyone ever told you how demanding you are?”

They could both agree that this business called hostility was hard to keep up, and if they were going to be in each other’s faces every time conversations occurred, productivity was going for a bungee jump.

While Slaine was content to pretend that he had no prior feelings what so ever concerning the brunette, Inaho had the desire to re-evaluate his perceptions towards the blond. What he had held on to in the war, stayed at war, although the loss of his eye made it especially hard to null the aversion completely.

“Mm they might have, try calculating and reckless,” Inaho provided with self reflectively. He straightened his back, resetting his posture to something less lazy. Slaine crossed his arms at his stomach, and then decided against it, propping his elbow up against the window pane. He cupped his cheek watching detachedly out the window. The soft amber glow dazzled every sliver of grass racing by; it was incredibly ethereal.   

“You just contradicted yourself there, you can’t truly be calculating _and_ reckless, but I can see what they mean. Even your recklessness is a calculated action, no? It only seems crazy because, unlike a certain someone, people don’t all move on pure cause and effect.” Truthfully, Slaine wasn’t too sure that he was making coherent conversation right now, but that wasn’t the point. As long as it kept Inaho going, it was sufficient. As far as he cared, the brunette could deal with it.

“Are you meaning to tell me that I don’t ever factor in emotion?” Inaho expressed a deceptively oblivious tone, as if it really were the first time someone had ever implied such a thing. He was mostly just amused by the poetic evasiveness of Saline’s language. The blond had just dissed him in the utmost polite manner possible; having pointed out that Inaho was well…very abnormal with his decision making.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Slaine lightly replied. He honestly doubted that the other was completely void of bias, but probably less so than was normal. Pressing his forehead to the glass, Slaine gradually began to nod off. This conversation was getting them nowhere.

Likewise Inaho was starting to bore of the topic; he was obviously not a very intriguing subject for analysis at the moment, and the discussion had no real point to consider.

Un-amusedly Slaine looked over to Inaho, “you mentioned something about feeling my emotions earlier, what exactly did you mean?” It was nothing short of disturbing to state such a question, but slaine would rather they talk about something thus productive. They couldn’t very well ignore how much the vow was seriously changing their relationship anyway.  

“It happens as a tug against my wrist. Not as much someone tugging, but something calling for my attention,” he corrected himself, “I also get an intuition of what emotions you are going through, apologetic, melancholic, fear…” He didn’t go any further than that, since the panic and confusion, which had flooded into his system earlier, had been…worrying. With the wrong step it could drive them both to madness, indefinitely fueling each other’s instability.

“The panic attacks, do they happen often,” Inaho suddenly asked. He had to make sure that this was not going to be a reoccurring problem. He was emotionally stable enough for one uninvited thrashing, but it didn’t mean that that stability would hold up for the blond repeatedly. Inaho knew Slaine would somewhat connect the dots as to why he’d brought such a sensitive topic up, at such an insensitive moment.

Slaine had to listen to Inaho’s question on replay in his mind. He had not been expecting this conversation to happen quite so soon. He marginally recognized that it must have been something worth the mental toll if Inaho was bothering to ask. “One time… It’s none of your business,” he murmured in response, not in favor of letting the other know _when_ exactly that one time happened. The victim of a war did not need to know that he had lost an eye simply because his offender couldn’t control himself. Vengeance was by far a much better excuse.

Inaho was satisfied enough to hear that Slaine didn’t have an extensive history with mental break downs similar to the recent one—not for someone who’d been to war. The blond had made it perfectly clear that this was not an easy topic, and Inaho’d already gotten what he wanted from the other's answer; although he was admittedly curious as to what the Slaine obviously avoided disclosing.

He had recently come to realize that Slaine Troyard was unusually cooperative, and calm, when reacting to questions about his not so pretty past. The former count was cunning in the way that he gave people just enough to make them feel bad about asking for more. It was smart really, but that wasn’t remotely what he’d done just now. Slaine outright cut him off before he even asked anything. In a way, this behavior garnered far more interest. It was a vulnerable way of doing things.    

Nevertheless, Inaho was humane enough to portion this question for later, _perhaps when they settle in the hotel,_ he thought. 

Ahead of them something green in color made it's appearance and Inaho squinted, trying to search out the tiny inkling of urban livelihood. Thanks to his missing left eye, however, he couldn’t tell how far away they actually were.

Slaine had nothing better to do when his line of sight got caught on Inaho’s supremely idiotic expression. It was amusing…until he figured out what Inaho was having trouble with, and then he just despised himself for making fun of the other.

“You don’t need to feel sorry for me, I do fine as is,” Inaho unceremoniously said to the windshield. Slaine’s expression only displayed surprise for one second, before he realized _how_ Inaho had known he was grieving, and then it grew solemn. They were going to be living one hell of a soap opera, before he got used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was both a pleasure and a challenge to write. It was so much fun that I couldn't stop myself from adding a healthy amount of ship teasers. (Yes I know, it probably equates to suspense torture for a great majority of you. But rest assured that their relationship will eventually sprout :) )
> 
> As for the challenging part of this chapter, I have some pretty hilarious evidence of that. The following is one of many self dialogues that I wrote to myself while creating this chapter:
> 
> WE NEED MORE BUILD UP! SLAINE WOULD NEVER JUST OVER REACT LIKE THAT. INAHO MUST HAVE UNKNOWINGLY PROMPTED IT! WE NEED AN ENTIRE DIALOGUE TO MAKE THE VIEWERS UNDERSTAND WHY EXACTLY WAS ASKING SLAINE ABOUT HIS THOUGHTS ALL THAT BAD. WHAT WAS ALREADY ABOUT TO BREAK THE DAM? YOU IDIOT, HOW CAN YOU JUST PUT AN EMOTIONAL SCENE UP LIKE THAT, NOT COOL! 
> 
> That^ was highlighted in bright yellow. 
> 
> on a side note, does anyone else talk to themselves when they write or is it just me?

**Author's Note:**

> Since this is my first fic I am unable to set on a stable updating schedule but will try my best to update within a week, if not earlier. 
> 
> Also, if there are any questions about this project, feel free to send me a comment or something, as long as I can figure out how to reply I will answer it, with pleasure.(lol that sounded a tad bit awkward, hope I didn’t creep anyone out…)
> 
> And finally, THANKS FOR READING!! Until next time! <3


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